ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Christmas

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers' Departments spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not keep central records of the amount spent on Christmas trees or other Christmas decorations. The CPS is a devolved organisation—with offices throughout England and Wales—and budgetary responsibility is given to local managers. To obtain the requested information would incur a disproportionate cost.
	The remaining Law Officers' Departments did not spend any money on Christmas trees or decorations in 2011.

Departmental Data Protection

David Davis: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of data loss or breaches of confidentiality occurred in his Department in 2011.

Edward Garnier: No data losses or breaches of confidentiality were recorded by the Attorney-General's Office in 2011.

Prosecutions: Costs

Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General what the average cost to the Crown Prosecution Service is of each prosecution by offence type.

Edward Garnier: The Crown Prosecution Service does not allocate or record prosecution costs by offence type. This data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally without incurring a disproportionate cost.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

The Lord's Prayer

Therese Coffey: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Church Commissioners have made of the teaching of the Lord's Prayer in schools in England.

Tony Baldry: The Church of England only has information pertaining to its Church of England schools. There are around 4,700 of these schools and academies across the country, spanning both the primary and secondary sectors.
	These schools are assessed on a regular basis by Ofsted and the local diocese. From the denominational inspection reports it is clear that the Lord’s Prayer is in regular use in collective worship in the majority of Church of England schools.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin) on 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 776W, on the cost of hospitality for ministerial events. There have been no additional events or receptions hosted by Ministers since this list was published.
	My Department has a series of meeting rooms that are used every day for events with external organisations, such as briefings for representatives of local government, the housing sector and the fire and rescue service.
	Details of non-ministerial events are held by individual business units, and to compile a list would incur disproportionate cost.

Mayors: Coventry

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had recent discussions with Coventry city council on the costs of (i) organising and (ii) conducting the forthcoming referendum on directly-elected mayors.

Greg Clark: I wrote to Coventry city council Cabinet Member, Councillor Phil Townshend, in August 2011 clearly stating that the costs of the referendum would not fall on the council, but would be met by central Government. I also recently wrote to the Council Leader, Councillor John Mutton, repeating that point.
	This reflects commitments made to Parliament by Ministers, on 23 June 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, columns 1470-71, and is in line with the long-established New Burdens doctrine.
	My officials have also had discussions with officials at the council on these matters.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in his Department are solely responsible for Overseas Territory affairs; and what the (a) job title and (b) specific responsibilities are of each such official.

Gregory Barker: The Department has no officials solely responsible for Overseas Territory affairs.

Departmental Manpower

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of full-time equivalent staff in his Department engaged in delivering (a) frontline and (b) corporate or back office services; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: As of 31 December 2011, the total number of civil servants working in the Department of Energy and Climate Change was 1,226 full-time equivalents. Of those, 164 were involved in providing corporate service support which includes Finance, Legal, Human Resource and Directorate Support. The remaining 1,062 people were involved in delivering DECC's key business objectives.

Energy: Prices

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the likely change in the cost of energy generated from (a) gas and (b) electricity over the next 10 years.

Charles Hendry: As part of its annual emissions and energy projections DECC publish different scenarios on wholesale and retail energy prices. The scenarios are based on a number of assumptions described in detail in DECC Updated Energy and Emissions Projections publication 2011 available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/about/ec_social_res/analytic_projs/en_emis_projs/en_emis_projs.aspx
	The following table summarises the wholesale and retail gas and electricity prices that are part of the central scenario. This incorporates the price impacts of policies that had been agreed at the time of publication, for a detailed list see Table 4.1 in the full report. However, this does not include additional policies to meet the 4(th) carbon budget that were or are still under development.
	
		
			 Energy prices, central scenario (constant 2010 price base) 
			  Wholesale prices Retail (1)  electricity prices Retail (1)  gas prices 
			  Electricity (p/KWh) (2) Gas (p/Therm) Residential (p/KWh) Services (p/KWh) Industrial (p/KWh) Residential (p/KWh) Services (p/KWh) Industrial (p/KWh) 
			 2010 4.8 42.7 12.9 7.7 6.8 4.2 2.3 1.9 
			 2011 7.0 61.2 14.4 12.1 11.5 4.3 3.2 2.7 
			 2012 7.3 67.0 15.4 12.7 12.1 4.6 3.4 2.9 
			 2013 7.8 71.8 16.2 13.6 13.0 4.8 3.6 3.1 
			 2014 7.6 77.7 16.7 13.7 13.2 5.2 3.9 3.4 
			 2015 7.6 78.6 16.9 13.7 13.1 5.3 3.9 3.4 
			 2016 7.7 78.6 17.5 13.9 13.4 5.4 4.0 3.4 
			 2017 7.7 73.8 17.8 14.1 13.5 5.3 3.8 3.3 
			 2018 7.4 68.0 17.5 14.0 13.4 5.0 3.6 3.1 
			 2019 7.4 68.0 18.0 14.3 13.7 5.0. 3.6 3.1 
			 2020 7.6 68.0 18.7 14.8 14.2 5.1 3.6 3.1 
			 2021 8.0 68.0 19.3 15.4 14.8 5.1 3.7 3.2 
			 2022 8.2 68.0 19.6 15.6 15.0 5.1 3.7 3.2 
			 (1) Retail price projections are based on projected taxes, duties and policy cost recovery and averaged historical non-fuel markups. (2) Electricity prices based on stated wholesale fossil fuel prices and central growth projection. Projected carbon price is fossil fuel price consistent. Source: DECC updated energy and emissions projections, October 2011, annex F

EU Law

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of the regulations his Department brought into force through (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) other means originated from proposals by the European Commission in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) did not implement any EU law through primary legislation in 2010 or 2011. DECC also did not implement any EU law through other means than legislation in that period.
	In 2010, six statutory instruments implementing EU law were brought into force by DECC. They are:
	The Energy Act 2008 (Consequential Modifications) (Offshore Environmental Protection) Order 2010/1513
	The Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme Regulations 2010/1996
	The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Licensing etc.) Regulations 2010/2221
	The Justification Decision (Generation of Electricity by the EPR Nuclear Reactor) Regulations 2010/2844
	The Justification Decision (Generation of Electricity by the API000 Nuclear Reactor) Regulations 2010/2845
	The Electricity (Guarantees of Origin of Electricity Produced from Renewable Energy Sources) (Amendment) Regulations 2010/2715
	In 2011, 11 statutory instruments implementing EU law were brought into force by DECC. They are:
	The Renewables Obligation (Amendment) Order 2011/984
	The Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources Regulations 2011/243
	The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) (Fees) and National Emissions Inventory Regulations 2011/727
	The Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2011/765
	The, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme (Nitrous Oxide) Regulations 2011/1506
	The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Termination of Licences) Regulations 2011/1483
	The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Access to Infrastructure) Regulations 2011/2305
	The Storage of Carbon Dioxide (Amendment of the Energy Act 2008 etc.) Regulations 2011/2453
	Electricity and Gas (Internal Markets) Regulations 2011/2704
	The Gas Transporter (Modification of Licence Conditions) Regulations 2011/2803
	Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Amendment Regulations 2011/2043
	All legislation which came into force during 2010 and 2011 can be found at:
	www.legislation.gov.uk

Heating: Disability

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what non-means-tested assistance he plans to provide to people with disabilities towards their heating costs.

Gregory Barker: All households in Great Britain are eligible to receive support for energy efficiency measures, which can help reduce energy costs, through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), with people in receipt of disability living allowance eligible for assistance through a Priority Group. In addition, all those living in communities eligible for the Community Energy Saving Programme stand to benefit from energy efficiency measures.
	Additional help is available through the Warm Front scheme and warm home discount for people on low incomes who have disabilities, alongside those on low incomes who are either pensioners or families with children.
	Information about current local offers, as well as free expert advice on how to save energy in the home, is available to all through the free Energy Saving Trust advice line (0800 512 012).
	In the future, all households will stand to benefit from energy efficiency improvements at no upfront cost through the Green Deal, with extra support through the Energy Company Obligation for vulnerable households on low incomes and those in properties that are difficult to improve.

National Grid: Fees and Charges

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has been collected in national grid transmission charges from generators in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales in the last year.

Charles Hendry: National Grid collects two sets of transmission charges from generators:
	1. Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges meet the capital costs of building and maintaining the network and include a locational element. According to National Grid, the generator shares for the 2010-11 charging year were:
	England: £216.39 million
	Scotland: £146.09 million
	Wales: £39.49 million.
	2. Balancing Services Use of System (BSUoS) charges meet the operational costs of the network and are paid on a socialised basis. The generator share amounts to approximately £450 million per year. Figures giving an accurate geographic breakdown of BSUoS charges on generators are not available.

HOME DEPARTMENT

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany; on which dates those regulations became EU law; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold information regarding implementation of EU regulations in France or Germany. It is the responsibility of the European Commission to oversee the implementation of EU law by the member states.

Immigration Controls: Airports

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the remit given to the Independent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency to investigate arrangements for immigration controls at UK airports during the pilot project of summer 2011 will include establishing (a) whether the suspension of some aspects of identity checks was directed at passengers of particular nationalities and if so which nationalities and (b) what consideration was given to any duty to apply immigration controls impartially and to avoid discrimination based on grounds of ethnicity or nationality.

Damian Green: The terms of reference for the Independent Chief Inspector's investigation have been placed in the House Library.

Institute for Public Policy Research: Finance

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department (a) allocated and (b) disbursed to the (i) Institute for Public Policy Research and (ii) National Institute for Economic and Social Research in each of the last three financial years; and what the purpose was of such funding.

Damian Green: holding answer 17 January 2012
	The Home Department has made the following payments to the Institute for Public Policy Research and National Institute for Economic and Social Research:
	
		
			 Institute Financial year Amount (£) Description/ purpose 
			 Institute for Public Policy Research 2009-10 15,000 Policy development 
			 National Institute for Economic and Social Research 2009-10 58,000 Research 
			 National Institute for Economic and Social Research 2010-11 24,000 Research

John Davidson

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will direct the Independent Police Complaints Commission to publish all documents in its possession relating to its investigation of Detective Constable John Davidson of the Metropolitan police;
	(2)  what her policy is on the full disclosure of documents relating to the conduct of Detective Constable John Davidson of the Metropolitan police during the investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

Nick Herbert: Publication of documents relating to these investigations is a matter for the Independent Police Complaints Commission and the Metropolitan Police Service.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 28 November 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Tayyibah Ahmed.

Kenneth Clarke: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Justice.
	I replied on 10 January.

Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse of running the Morton Hall immigration removal centre was in the latest period in which figures are available.

Damian Green: Morton Hall is in its first year of operation as an immigration removal centre since it was previously used as a female prison under the Ministry of Justice.
	The estimated cost to the public purse in the financial year 2011-12 is the £10,680,000 which UK Border Agency will pay to the National Offender Management Service under the service level agreement for the running of Morton Hall immigration removal centre. The UK Border Agency will also pay £491,244 to the National Offender Management Service in 2011-12 for the start-up costs.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the House of Commons Commission has made of the availability of fresh food and food made from fresh ingredients in (a) the Jubilee Café and (b) all food outlets on the parliamentary estate.

John Thurso: Formal assessments of the availability of fresh food are not carried out, but the House of Commons catering service is committed to preparing homemade foods from fresh ingredients wherever possible. Seasonality is a major factor in menu design and the catering service works closely with its suppliers to secure delivery of prime products.
	Food provision in the Jubilee Cafe is constrained by the lack of kitchen facilities, but salads, sandwiches and fresh fruits are bought in daily to provide healthier alternatives to the range of cakes and other snacks served.
	We estimate that over 90% of main meal dishes served in all other food outlets are prepared from fresh ingredients, with the principal exception being the use of frozen fish in some venues. Similarly, some frozen vegetables are served in the cafeterias.

Parliamentary Tours: Finance

Robert Flello: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much was paid to guides providing tours of Parliament in September in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011; and how much income was earned from guided tours in the same period.

John Thurso: Visitor services are a shared service between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The figures here relate to gross costs and revenue of which the House of Commons is apportioned 70% and the House of Lords 30%.
	Commercial tours operate Monday to Saturday during the summer when the House is not sitting. In the two weeks of September 2010 and 2011 when the House sat, there were no tours Monday to Friday, but tours ran on Saturday. Blue Badge guides are provided under contract for paid tours.
	
		
			 Gross revenue and guide costs, commercial opening, September 2009, 2010 and 2011 (excluding VAT) 
			 £ 
			  Ticket revenue Guide costs 
			 2009 318,312 156,863 
			 2010 189,735 89,270 
			 2011 247,433 93,041 
		
	
	During September, Member-sponsored line of route tours are available, and the amount paid to guides for these tours is shown in the following table. These tours are not covered by Blue Badge guides or the related contract. The table does not include evening tours related to banqueting functions.
	
		
			 Gross estimated Member-sponsored line of route tour guide costs, September 2009, 2010 and 2011 
			  Members' tour guide costs (£) 
			 2009 14,299 
			 2010 14,985 
			 2011 12,790 
		
	
	The figures in this answer do not include the additional costs incurred for ticket administration by Ticketmaster, promotion and advertising and the administration costs covered by Visitor Services.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ulster Scots Language

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on developing and enhancing Ulster-Scots language, heritage and culture;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the (a) Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure and (b) other Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on the introduction of an Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: I met the Northern Ireland Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure on 15 December and we discussed a number of issues relating to Irish and Ulster-Scots. The Minister of State for Northern Ireland has also met the Northern Ireland Culture Minister in recent months to discuss areas of mutual interest.
	Policy relating to regional and minority languages in Northern Ireland, including the introduction of an Irish Language Act and the development of Ulster-Scots language, heritage and culture are, in the main, devolved matters for the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive.

SCOTLAND

Biofuels

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Scottish Government, (b) the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and (c) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the recommendations in the report commissioned by the Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Government on supporting biomass electricity in the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) on the effect of these recommendations on Government policy.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in regular contact with the Scottish Government and ministerial colleagues in the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on a range of issues including renewable energy.
	Officials at DECC are considering responses to the recently closed consultation on the renewables obligation (RO) and relevant information, including the biomass electricity report prepared for Scotland and cross-Government work, to develop a UK bioenergy strategy which will set out a strategic framework for the use of bioenergy across the UK.

TRANSPORT

Airbus A380

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if she will hold discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority on the airworthiness of the wings of the Airbus A380;
	(2)  if she will meet the Civil Aviation Authority to discuss the airworthiness of the Airbus A380.

Theresa Villiers: Responsibility for the design approval of the Airbus A380 and its continued airworthiness rests with the European Aviation Safety Agency. The agency is currently investigating the cause of minor cracks in some A380 wings.

Departmental Work Experience

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines her Department issues to its non-departmental public bodies on the employment of unpaid interns.

Norman Baker: No guidelines are issued by the Department to non-departmental public bodies.

Driving Tests

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans she has to involve existing Driving Standards Agency partners in the delivery of practical driving tests;
	(2)  what consideration her Department has given to the offer of Pearson VUE to assume operational responsibility for the management and financial risks of the Driving Standards Agency's training and testing initiatives;
	(3)  what interest has been expressed by outside organisations in assuming operational responsibility for the management of the Driving Standards Agency's training and testing initiatives.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport is considering how the principles set out in the Open Public Services White Paper apply to our services, including those delivered by the Driving Standards Agency. These considerations are at an early stage, and we are in discussion with existing partners, potential new partners, and trade unions, who have all expressed an interest. A full and open consultation process would be undertaken if any firm proposals were forthcoming.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings Ministers in her Department had on alternatives to High Speed Two in each of the last two years.

Justine Greening: DFT Ministers have discussed the Government's proposals for high speed rail and the alternatives that were considered (as set out in the consultation document “High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain's Future”) at a range of meetings and events.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the oral statement of 10 January 2012, Official Report, columns 23-59, on High Speed Rail, what assessment she has made of the economic (a) benefits and (b) costs to the North East economy of the (i) construction and (ii) operation of High Speed 2.

Justine Greening: holding answer 16 January 2012
	HS2 will deliver around £2 of benefits for every £1 spent, and up to £59 billion worth of benefits overall. Table 5 of the updated Economic Case for HS2 published this month provides a breakdown of benefits accrued in different regions based on where people start their trips, including the North East. These figures are based on transport user benefits only, and do not include the potential agglomeration benefits of the Y network. The updated Economic Case can be found at:
	http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/hs2-economic-case-appraisal-update/hs2-economic-case-appraisal-update.pdf
	The cost of constructing the Y network would be £32.7 billion, which includes a significant level of optimism bias and risk provision. There is no regional breakdown of this total cost.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons her Department did not carry out a consultation on the future of the high speed rail network before deciding on the phase one objectives contained in its remit to HS2 Ltd.

Justine Greening: My decisions on a new high speed rail network, which I announced on 10 January 2012, Official Report, columns 9-12WS, were made following a national public consultation exercise which ran for five months in 2011. This consultation covered both the Government's strategy for a high speed rail network and the proposed route for the first phase of the network from London to the west midlands.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evidence her Department took account of to inform its choice of a Y-shaped core network for High Speed 2.

Justine Greening: The Department looked at a range of information and evidence which has been published in a number of detailed reports that can be found on the Department's website, at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/high-speed-rail/

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons her Department excluded Leicester on the proposed eastern route of High Speed 2.

Justine Greening: HS2 Ltd will deliver its advice to me in March this year on the route and station options for Phase 2 of the Y network (linking Birmingham with Manchester and Leeds, with intermediate stations in the east midlands and South Yorkshire). This will include analysis of the options for an east midlands station.
	My Department will begin informal consultation on a preferred route for Phase 2 later in the year.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what cost benefit analysis her Department has undertaken in respect of the (a) potential reduction in journey times between London and Birmingham and (b) environmental effects on the Chilterns area arising from development of High Speed 2.

Justine Greening: Time savings for phase 1 between London and Birmingham have been valued by HS2 Ltd at £10 billion (in 2011 present values, appraised over a 60 year period), with time saving benefits for the Y-network estimated at £24.5 billion.
	The Economic Case for HS2 analysed all environmental impacts associated with phase 1. The Department's standard approach was used to appraise the route between London and Birmingham, and therefore the analysis incorporated the Chilterns area.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Civil Servants

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants in her Department are working on the High Speed Two project.

Justine Greening: There are currently 20 officials working full-time on high speed rail with additional input from a number of other officials within the Department.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Civil Servants

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many hours civil servants in her Department have spent on the High Speed Two project in each of the last three years.

Justine Greening: Officials working full-time on high speed rail spent approximately 1,500 hours working on HS2 in 2009, approximately 4,600 hours in 2010 and approximately 27,000 hours in 2011. The large number of hours worked in 2011 included a substantial amount of time engaging with stakeholders and the public during the five month consultation.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Employment

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate she has made of the number of jobs High Speed Two is expected to create in (a) Warwick and Leamington constituency and (b) Warwickshire.

Justine Greening: HS2 Ltd estimate that around 9,000 jobs would be created to construct the new London-West Midlands route, with a further 1,500 permanent jobs in operations and maintenance and over 30,000 jobs in the regeneration areas associated with station developments. These figures would be significantly higher for the proposed 'Y' shaped high speed rail network which includes links to the North East and North West.
	Although employment benefits have not been broken down to a regional level, new high speed rail lines could provide business opportunities for firms throughout the UK.

High Speed Trains: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she next plans to meet the Scottish Government to discuss high speed rail.

Justine Greening: The Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), and I have recently met representatives of the Scottish Government and discussed high speed rail.
	I intend to hold further discussions in due course.

High Speed Trains: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on the effects of plans for high speed rail on the operation of freight services in Scotland.

Justine Greening: While there have been no specific discussions about the impact of HS2 on freight services in Scotland, the released capacity that HS2 will result in on the West Coast Main Line will create potential for increased freight services to and from Scotland. The Government will work with the Scottish Government going forward to ensure that freight and HS2 work in tandem to provide maximum benefit to the UK.

Midland Main Line: Electrification

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will consider proposals for the electrification of the Midland Main Line.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 10 January 2012
	The Government support progressive electrification of the rail network in England and Wales as a way of reducing the cost of running the railways, increasing efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. We continue to work with Network Rail to look at the case for further electrification, including of the Midland Main Line, in the next rail Control Period starting in 2014.

Motorways

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultation (a) her Department and (b) the Highways Agency undertakes on the proposed name of new motorway service areas.

Michael Penning: Since 1992 responsibility for the promotion, development and operation of new motorway service areas has rested with the private sector. Consequently, neither the Department for Transport nor the Highways Agency has any input in to the naming of sites.

Motorways

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultation (a) her Department and (b) the Highways Agency undertook with (i) the relevant local authority and (ii) relevant local people on the proposed name for the motorway service area under construction between junctions 9 and 10 of the M25.

Michael Penning: The new motorway service area between junctions 9 and 10 of the M25 near to Cobham is a privately funded development being carried out by Evergreen Extra Ltd. The Department for Transport, and the Highways Agency, has no input to the naming of the site.

Railways: Scotland

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated research on whether the proposed high speed line to Scotland should be on the west or east side of the Pennines.

Justine Greening: As I announced to the House on 10 January 2012, Official Report, columns 9-12WS, the Government's proposals are for a Y network from London to Leeds and Manchester via the west midlands. I will receive advice from HS2 Ltd on route and station options for the Leeds and Manchester legs in March.
	I look forward to working with the Scottish Government and others to identify and evaluate options for developing the high speed network and further reducing journey times.

Railways: Theft

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many incidents there have been of theft of metal from railway lines in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Vale of Glamorgan constituency in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the value of metal stolen from railway lines was in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Vale of Glamorgan constituency in each of the last three years.

Norman Baker: The information is not available in the format requested. Details of the number and costs of incidents of cable theft which result in delays to the operational network are collected by Network Rail on a route basis.
	
		
			 Network Rail cable theft statistics—route and national 2008-09 to date 
			 Network Rail breakdown by route 2010-11 
			 Route Number of incidents Delay minutes (1) Compensation cost (2 ) (£) 
			 Anglia 74 21,055 1,089,809 
			 CTRL 1 31 7,251 
			 East Midlands 33 11,234 282, 473 
			 Kent 17 12,681 417,950 
			 LNE (London North Eastern) 526 137,801 3,531,416 
			 LNW (London North Western) 196 105,842 2,795,811 
			 Scotland 34 7,265 254, 825 
			 Sussex 3 764 30, 081 
			 Wessex 8 3,536 140,423 
			 Western 103 65,026 3,587, 181 
		
	
	
		
			 Breakdown by route 2009-10 
			 Route Number of incidents Delay minutes (1) Compensation cost (2 ) (£) 
			 Anglia 79 40,632 2,643,979 
			 CTRL 0 0 0 
			 East Midlands 27 6,386 155,750 
			 Kent 10 3,331 82,849 
			 LNE (London North Eastern) 327 102,680 2,630,249 
			 LNW (London North Western) 166 125,089 3,085,507 
			 Scotland 2 142 13,974 
			 Sussex 1 748 41,876 
			 Wessex 3 71 1,738 
			 Western 41 42, 491 2,275,430 
		
	
	
		
			 Breakdown by route 2008-09 
			 Route Number of incidents Delay minutes (1) Compensation cost (2 ) (£) 
			 Anglia 26 12,253 720,251 
			 CTRL 0 0 0 
			 East Midlands 22 6,532 215,439 
			 Kent 23 5,570 148,591 
			 LNE (London North Eastern) 489 167,509 4,725,454 
			 LNW (London North Western) 136 71,548 1,361,966 
			 Scotland 10 4,396 212,450 
			 Sussex 0 0 0 
			 Wessex 1 12 163 
			 Western 35 15,347 474,203 
		
	
	
		
			 National 
			 Financial year N umber  of incidents (4) Delay minutes (1) Compensation cost (2 ) (£) Total cost (3)  (£) 
			 2011-12(5) 464 166,353 5,877,347 n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 995 365,265 12,137,220 16,510,663 
			 2009-10 656 321,570 10,931,350 13,961,998 
			 2008-09 742 283,167 7,858,516 12,264,682 
			 Total 2,393 970,002 30,927,086 42,737,343 
			 (1 )Delay minutes provide an indication of the scale of inconvenience experienced by passengers and vary with each incident. If the theft is on a busy mainline then they rack up much more quickly than on quieter suburban lines. (2 )Compensation costs (known as schedule 8 costs) are paid to train and freight operators for the disruption caused by the delay. This is a substantial part of the cost to the industry of cable theft but does not include the cost of staff time to repair and replace the cable, replacement cable itself and the cost of mitigation measures such as security patrols and investment in new technology. The amount of compensation paid depends on the type of services delayed. (3) Total cost comprises schedule 8 (compensation to train operators), as well as the average cost of replacement cable; average maintenance cost of attending to the fault and average opportunity cost of diverting this labour from elsewhere. This figure is available only as a national figure as it is an estimation based on averages. (4 )Number of incidents which caused delay to the operational network. It does not include thefts from depots, engineering sites or redundant cable. (5) Year to date—to end of period 5. 
		
	
	
		
			  Hours delay 
			 2011-12(1) 2,772 
			 2010-11 6,088 
			 2009-10 5,360 
			 2008-09 4,719 
			 (1 )Year to date—to end of period 5. 
		
	
	Details of the total number of cable theft crimes, including thefts from depots, engineering sites and depots are collated by BTP for 2010-11.
	
		
			 Crime area name Number of crimes (live and redundant cable) Arrests 
			 London North 321 112 
			 London South 391 94 
			 London Underground 123 77 
			 North Eastern 1,184 273 
			 North Western 273 109 
			 Wales and Western 632 218 
			 Scottish 192 31 
			 Total 3,116 914

WORK AND PENSIONS

Income Support: Lone Parents

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to revise his estimate that 20,000 to 25,000 lone parents will move into employment when entitlement to income support for lone parents with a youngest child aged five ends in light of the most recent data on unemployment, part time vacancies and economic growth; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The June 2010 Budget announced the requirement for lone parents to prepare for and seek work as a condition of receiving benefits, would be extended from those with a youngest child aged seven or over, to those with a youngest child aged five or over. We estimated in the recent impact assessment, 'Conditionality Measures in the 2011 Welfare Reform Bill' that the change will help 20,000 to 25,000 extra lone parents into work in steady state, once the full impact of the proposal has been realised. This estimate is based on evidence on the difference in work entry rates between lone parents claiming income support and lone parents claiming, notably, jobseeker's allowance, where the changes can be assumed to arise directly from the change in conditionality regime. We have already included an element of caution in our estimates, as we recognise lone parents have some different characteristics to other groups on JSA.
	Despite the economic downturn, there are still a large number of unfilled vacancies available, with an average of 463,000 vacancies a month in the final quarter of 2011. This snapshot does not show the dynamism of a job market in which most vacancies are filled quickly and new ones are coming up for people to move into. Jobcentre Plus alone takes an average of 10,000 new vacancies each day, and many more come up through other recruitment channels.
	We expect the UK to achieve economic growth in the near future, with the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasting increasing economic growth between 2012 and 2016 in their latest 'Economic and Fiscal Outlook' publication in November 2011.
	Given these factors, we believe the proposal will achieve an employment impact of 20,000 to 25,000 at steady-state, and as such, we do not plan to revise our estimates.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what role he expects housing benefit staff in local authorities to play in delivering universal credit.

Chris Grayling: The Welfare Reform White Paper sets out that the Department for Work and Pensions will be responsible for organising the delivery of Universal Credit. It also states that we will continue to pay housing benefit to working age customers until we can migrate them successfully on to universal credit, currently expected to be by October 2017. We have yet to settle on the precise details of how the transition will work, and the effects on housing benefits staff. However, this orderly transition will ensure that we have people with relevant skills and experience to support claimants both in work and out of work, as they migrate to the new credit.
	We have formed a transition working group made up of representatives from local authorities to advise the programme of the impacts of universal credit on local authorities and we are undertaking an extensive programme of visits to individual authorities to hear about current practice, gather views and suggestions and discuss their views about the future role of local authorities under universal credit. We will continue to work with these colleagues to test new ways of working and consider how, in the longer term, we can build on the best capabilities of current organisations to provide a consistently excellent service to claimants and ensure value for money.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the sum he has budgeted for universal credit implementation he expects to pay to local authorities.

Chris Grayling: The 2010 spending review settlement included funding of £2 billion for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15, to meet all the costs of introducing universal credit.
	The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is working with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), the devolved Administrations and the local authority associations to understand the full cost impact of the introduction of universal credit.
	The full impact will only be understood when the universal credit service design and migration process is finalised.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the criteria are for employers to be able to receive Government funds to take on apprentices; and how many employers in each region have taken part in the scheme to date.

John Hayes: The National Apprenticeship Service channels the funding to the organisation which delivers the apprenticeship training. In most cases this will be the training provider rather than an employer. Therefore to receive apprenticeship funds directly, an employer must deliver the relevant training. We have recently announced an Employer Ownership Pilot which will route up to £250 million of public investment directly to employers over the next two years. We will shortly be issuing a prospectus jointly with the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) inviting proposals from employers.
	In November last year, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education also announced the establishment of a new scheme which will provide up to 40,000 incentives for small employers, who are not currently engaged in the apprenticeships programme to take on apprentices aged 16 to 24. The National Apprenticeships Service is currently working up detailed eligibility criteria for the scheme, which will commence from April this year.

Departmental Data Protection

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many cases of data loss or breaches of confidentiality occurred in his Department in 2011.

Edward Davey: I am pleased to confirm that there were no data losses or breaches of private and confidential information in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills during 2011.

Executives: Pay

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to make votes on executive pay at annual general meetings of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange legally binding;
	(2)  what plans he has to limit executive pay in companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Edward Davey: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), will be making an announcement to Parliament in due course.

Food: Prices

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the unit pricing of groceries.

Edward Davey: I have no plans to amend the current legislation on unit pricing of groceries.

Higher Education: Admissions

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of home students in England initially enrolled on an arts or social science degree switched to a science degree in each year since 2005.

David Willetts: This information is not held centrally.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to reply to the letter of 19 December 2011 from the hon. Member for Walsall North on funding for the Widening Participation Premium.

David Willetts: I replied to the hon. Member on 18 January 2012.

Retail Trade

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase high street trading in areas of (a) high and (b) low deprivation; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Mary Portas Review, an independent review into the future of high streets was published in December, setting out a series of recommendations for industry, local and central Government, business, landlords and members of the public. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has welcomed the report and are working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government who are leading on the response, due to be published in the spring.

Royal Mail: Pensions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what support he plans to provide to Royal Mail in the event that state aid approval for the pension fund transfer is not granted; and what recent discussions he has had with Royal Mail on this issue;
	(2)  what contingency planning his Department is conducting should state aid approval for the Royal Mail pension fund transfer not be granted;
	(3)  when he expects a decision to be made on state aid approval for the Royal Mail pension fund transfer;
	(4)  whether the Royal Mail pension fund will be recorded as public sector borrowing should state aid approval not be granted for its transfer.

Edward Davey: Officials continue to work with the EU commission to achieve a decision on the Royal Mail State aid case by 31 March, which will allow Government to implement its policy of relieving the pension deficit. As a matter of prudence, officials have been undertaking contingency planning in the event that this timetable is not met, and have discussed contingency planning with Royal Mail.
	As Royal Mail is a private sector entity, the Royal Mail Pension Plan does not impact the public accounts. The expected impact of the transfer of liabilities and assets to Government is outlined in the Office for Budget Responsibility's Economic and Fiscal Outlook report:
	http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/Autumn2011EFO_web_version138469072346.pdf

Technology: Apprentices

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department attaches any priority to provision of apprenticeships in high technology manufacturing and exporting areas including engineering, IT and science.

John Hayes: Focusing investment and efforts where apprenticeships will have the greatest impact and deliver the greatest returns is a priority for this Government.
	Significant work is being done across Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM) related sectors, for example stimulating employer engagement and raising demand for apprenticeships through a new Memorandum of Understanding between the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA); the development of innovative delivery models for STEM apprenticeships, and a SEMTA-led consortium of providers and employers delivering a new Advanced Manufacturing Higher Apprenticeship Framework. This is a project funded by the Higher Apprenticeship Fund, and it is noteworthy that seven out of the 19 winning bids from the recent Higher Apprenticeship Fund prospectus came from the STEM sector.

CABINET OFFICE

Charities: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many charities based in the London borough of Bexley have been (a) added to and (b) removed from the Charity Commission register in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Charity Commission. I have asked the Commission's chief executive to reply.
	Letter from Sam Younger, dated 18 January 2012
	.
	The Register of Charities is able to show charities which indicate that their area of operation includes Bexley. The number of such charities added to and removed from the Register in each year is as follows:
	
		
			  (a) Registered (b) Removed 
			 2007 13 10 
			 2008 14 10 
			 2009 19 20 
			 2010 25 10 
			 2011 19 17 
		
	
	Please note that it is not possible from the information we hold to include charities in Bexley that give their area of operation as all of London; all of England; or all of England and Wales. Furthermore, there may be additional charities in Bexley, such as those with an income of less than £5,000 per annum, which are not required to register and for which the Commission does not hold information.

Households: Greater London

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average number of children with (a) two parents working, (b) one parent working and (c) no parents working was in (i) Poplar and Limehouse constituency, (ii) the London borough of Tower Hamlets and (iii) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what is the average number of children with a) two parents working, b) one parent working and c) no parents working in i) Poplar and Limehouse constituency, ii) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and iii) nationally in the latest period for which figures are available. 89863.
	The table shows estimates for the period of January to December 2010 and are derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results.
	
		
			 Average number of children (1,2 ) with one, both or no parents working in Poplar and Limehouse, Tower Hamlets and England, January-December 2010—not seasonally adjusted 
			 Average number 
			  (a) Both parents working (b) One parent working (c) No parents working 
			 Poplar and Limehouse 1.4 2.2 2.4 
			 Tower Hamlets 1.4 2.1 2.3 
			 England 1.6 1.7 1.8 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) Children aged 0 to 15. (2) The average is the total number of children aged 0 to 15 divided by the total number of families with children aged 0 to 15. Note: Parents of the children in this analysis live in the same household, therefore children of lone parent families can only be accounted for in columns (b) and (c). Source: ONS Annual Population Survey

National Lottery: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of applications to the Big Lottery Fund from organisations based in the London borough of Bexley were successful in the last three years for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: 47.1% of applications received by the Big Lottery Fund from organisations based in the London borough of Bexley in the three years to 31 March 2011 were awarded funding.

New Businesses: Bolton

David Crausby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new businesses have been established in Bolton since August 2010.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many new businesses have been established in Bolton since August 2010.
	Annual statistics on the number of enterprise births within a calendar year are available from the ONS release on Business Demography at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk
	However, these statistics are only available up to the calendar year 2010. The results for 2011 will be released on 6th December 2012.

Public Sector: Pensions

David Anderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what further negotiations he plans to undertake with the PCS union on proposed changes to public sector pensions.

Francis Maude: The Government have engaged positively and constructively with the National Trade Union Committee (NTUC), of which PCS is a member, on reforms to the civil service scheme. The Government will continue discussions with the trade unions. Where appropriate the Government will also discuss further proposals for contribution increases to the existing scheme.
	These talks are to finalise outstanding details on the propositions in the Heads of Agreement, set out before Christmas, and not to reopen those propositions.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Christmas

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas trees and (b) other Christmas decorations in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: Nothing.

Departmental Data Protection

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many cases of data loss or breaches of confidentiality occurred in his Department in 2011.

John Penrose: None.

EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department holds information on the EU regulations in its policy areas of responsibility which have not been implemented in (a) France and (b) Germany and the dates on which those regulations became EU law; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: The information requested is not held by Her Majesty's Government, but the hon. Gentleman's researchers will find it on the European Commission's EUR-Lex website:
	http://eur-lex.europa.eu

Football: VAT

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effects of applying the standard rate of VAT to the provision of five-a-side football leagues on the level of participation in the sport; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: Neither the Department, nor Sport England, have made a specific assessment of the potential effects on levels of participation in sport by the VAT treatment of sports leagues. However, we do record participation levels in sport via the Taking Part Survey and Active People Survey which can be found at the following links:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/research_and_statistics/4828.aspx
	and
	http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey.aspx

Olympic Games 2012: Advertising

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what advertising campaigns his Department has run in support of the London 2012 Olympic Games; and what the cost was of each such campaign.

Hugh Robertson: The GREAT Campaign was developed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) while working with No. 10 and other Government partners. Launched in September 2011, it is a long-term initiative bringing together various programmes being run by different Government Departments. The initial contract with the creative communications agency Mother to work on the GREAT Campaign was for £500,000 (excluding VAT). The initial scope of work involved the development of the campaign strategy and messaging, creative design, research and testing, presentations, development of brand guidelines, and account and stakeholder management. DCMS invested a further £44,925.64 (excluding VAT) towards assets for the campaign. The GREAT campaign is now run centrally from Cabinet Office.

PhonepayPlus

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of the performance of PhonepayPlus.

Edward Vaizey: No assessment has been made. Ofcom has responsibility and accountability for the regulation of premium rate services under the terms of the Communications Act 2003. Ofcom has designated PhonepayPlus to deliver the day-to-day regulation of the market, by approving the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice. Regulatory strategy, scope and policy are developed in dialogue with PhonepayPlus, but final decisions rest with Ofcom.
	The relationship between Ofcom and PhonepayPlus is set out in a Formal Framework Agreement, which is available at:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/phonepayplus/summary/formalframework.pdf

Radio Frequencies

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the effect on gross domestic product of the release of spectrum in the 800MHz and 2600MHz bands for 4G mobile services.

Edward Vaizey: Neither the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), nor his officials have made an estimate on the effect on GDP of the release of spectrum in 800 MHz and 2600MHz. The advanced competitive mobile market will clearly be crucial to the economy. Currently, Department officials and the Shareholder Executive are in the process of commissioning work to identify major users of spectrum and the estimated value to the economy (both overall value and what is attributable to spectrum use). The values to be ascertained would be current (2011) and future (over five, ten years). The results are expected to be made available to the Department in July.

Radio Frequencies

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with Ofcom on revising the licence fees for 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum given the time taken for 4G Spectrum auction.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has had no specific meetings with Ofcom to discuss revising the licence fees at 900 and 1800MHz. Ofcom is required to amend the annual licence fees for 900MHz and 1800MHz to comply with the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (Directions to Ofcom) Order 2010, and has set out its proposals in the recently published consultation on the auction.

Radio Frequencies

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made on the potential number of jobs created as a result of the release of spectrum in the 800MHz and 2600MHz bands for 4G mobile services.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has made no estimate on the potential number of jobs created by releasing spectrum at 800 MHz and 2600 MHz for use by 4G services.

Radio Frequencies

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the value of licence fees for 900MHz and 1800MHz spectrum of the amount paid for 800MHz spectrum in the recent auction in Italy.

Edward Vaizey: The setting of licence fees for spectrum is a matter for Ofcom, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has made no assessment of future fees. In its recently announced second consultation on the proposals for the award of 800 and 2600MHz, Ofcom has stated that its approach to setting annual licence fees will not be to rely on a single methodology and source of information. Ofcom expect to extract information from the bids in the auction using more than one methodology and use this alongside other evidence, such as the information on spectrum value that they use to set reserve prices, and information from auctions in other countries for similar spectrum.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Departmental Flags

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the number of EU flags held by his Department.

David Lidington: Two EU flags are held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in the UK.
	Details of flags purchased overseas or by other Departments within the FCO for internal display are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iran: Mass Media

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with (i) their international counterparts, (ii) the BBC World Service and (iii) the International Telecommunications Union on steps by the Iranian authorities to disrupt media services.

Alistair Burt: EU Foreign Ministers have discussed and condemned Iranian disruption of international satellite broadcasts, most recently in October 2011 when they called on the Iranian authorities to lift all restrictions on communications immediately. Officials in my Department have had regular discussions with international counterparts, broadcasters and satellite owners on this issue. We have worked with international partners to raise interference with satellite broadcasts at meetings of the International Telecommunications Union. We will be pressing for farther action at the upcoming World Radiocommunications Conference.

Iran: Mass Media

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the compatibility of the actions by the Iranian authorities to disrupt media services with that country's obligations within the International Telecommunications Union.

Alistair Burt: Any member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) must abide by its constitution, which prohibits ‘harmful interference’ with communications. Satellite owners have regularly traced jamming of international satellite broadcasts to Iranian territory. So far Iran has failed to heed the calls of the international community to cease interference emanating from its territory, including instructions from the Radio Regulations Board of the ITU. We will continue to work with international counterparts to ensure this issue remains on the agenda of the ITU.

Iran: Mass Media

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which the output of BBC Persian TV is blocked by the Iranian authorities; and what steps he is taking to bring such action to an end.

Alistair Burt: Interference with broadcasts of BBC Persian TV and other international satellite broadcasters has intensified over the past year, and satellite owners have regularly traced such interference to Iranian territory. Such interference with satellite broadcasts is just one aspect of Iran's repeated attacks on freedom of expression and attempts to control information which include heightened censorship of the internet, the closure of at least seven national newspapers in 2011, and the regular arrest of journalists and bloggers. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I have worked to increase international recognition and condemnation of Iranian interference with satellite broadcasts, including by EU Foreign Ministers in October 2011 and by the UN General Assembly in December 2011. We will continue to raise the issue of jamming at the International Telecommunications Union's World Radiocommunications Conference and work with partners there for action to prevent such blocking.

North Korea

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings (a) he, (b) his predecessors, (c) Ministers in his Department and (d) their predecessors have had with their North Korean counterparts in each year since 2001.

Jeremy Browne: Engagement at ministerial level in the last 10 years has been limited. The then Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State (Bill Rammell) visited North Korea in September 2004, where he met Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun.
	In October 2011, the former Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Baroness Amos visited North Korea where she met North Korean Government Ministers to discuss chronic poverty, under-development and poor infrastructure.
	Since opening diplomatic relations with North Korea 11 years ago, the UK has operated a policy of critical engagement at official level that offers the best possible lever for change. There is regular communication at official level between our embassy in Pyongyang and the North Korean Government and between the North Korean embassy here in London and officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

North Korea: Human Rights

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the North Korean authorities on (a) human rights abuses, (b) forced repatriations, (c) the treatment of religious groups and (d) people held in labour camps.

Jeremy Browne: We use every opportunity to raise reported abuses of international human rights standards with the North Korean Government both through the embassy of North Korea in London and through our embassy in Pyongyang. This includes the treatment of religious groups and people held in labour camps. During a meeting last week, our ambassador in North Korea raised the UK's concerns to Vice Foreign Minister Kung Sok Ung.
	We also co-sponsor annual UN resolutions (most recently in New York in November 2011) calling for the full implementation of international human rights conventions and norms and for access for the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea. A visit by the Special Rapporteur would help independently verify the reports of abuses.
	At the 19th Round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue held in January 2011, UK officials raised China's forced repatriation of refugees from North Korea with Chinese government officials.

Syria: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the recent visit by Arab League observers to Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I have made clear our continued support for the Arab League's efforts to bring pressure to bear on the Syrian regime to stop the killing. We welcome the deployment of its observer mission to Syria on 26 December to assess Syrian implementation of the Arab League plan it agreed on 2 November. In its preliminary report to the Arab League on 8 January, the observer mission noted that despite some limited progress in reducing the military presence on the streets the violence continued. It is due to report on 19 January.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), made clear, most recently in a statement on 11 January, that we urge the Syrian regime to implement in full its commitments to the Arab League on 2 November. It must end the violence, withdraw troops from the streets, release all detainees and engage in a meaningful dialogue with opposition groups. We call again on President Assad to step down and heed the will of the Syrian people.

Treaty of Lisbon

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made consequent on the signing of the treaty of Lisbon; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Lisbon treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009. In respect of the changes introduced under the Lisbon treaty:
	a. The President of the European Council and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy are in office.
	b. The EU External Action Service has been in operation for a year, and the High Representative sent a progress report to EU Foreign Ministers on 22 December 2011 ahead of a full-scale review in 2013. The EAS supplements and complements, but does not replace, the UK diplomatic service. The Government have made clear where they believe the EAS should and should not act, in accordance with the treaties.
	c. The Judicial Appointments Panel is fully operational in issuing opinions on the nomination of appointments to the European Court of Justice. The Council Standing Committee on Internal Security, whose objective is to facilitate, promote, and strengthen co-ordination of operational actions between member states in the field of internal security, is also operational.
	d. The ordinary legislative procedure (formerly known as co-decision) has been introduced in agriculture and other areas; new procedures agreed for the annual budget of the EU; an accelerated process has been agreed for fining member states in infractions cases; and a new comitology decision adopted for scrutiny by member states of the Commission's exercise of its powers in relation to implementing and delegated acts are all bedding down.
	e. Decision-making on Justice and Home Affairs issues has moved from unanimity to qualified majority voting and the ordinary legislative procedure. As the UK has the right to ‘opt-in’ to decisions in this area, its effect on the UK has been limited. At the same time, qualified majority voting Council immediately became the norm, unless an exception was included in the treaties.
	f. The EU now has a single legal personality.
	g. The treaty gave legal effect to the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The Charter does not create new rights and principles—it brings existing rights together in one place. The protocol of the Lisbon treaty that refers to the charter does not extend the ability of any court to find that the UK's laws and practices are inconsistent with fundamental rights that it reaffirms. The European Commission has published a strategy on the effective implementation of the charter which includes many of the principles of better regulation used in the UK.
	h. Negotiations are ongoing on the terms of accession of the EU to the European convention on human rights.
	i. The new procedure for national parliaments to send a reasoned opinion to the European Commission, where they consider a proposal does not uphold the principle of subsidiarity has already been used by both Houses. The Government are currently considering the recommendations of the Commons Procedures Committee on improving procedures for debates on reasoned opinions on subsidiarity.
	j. This Government have, by means of the European Union Act 2011, introduced a referendum lock on the use of any of the passerelles introduced in the Lisbon treaty which transfer power or competence from the UK to the EU, and stronger parliamentary controls on use of all of the passerelles now in the EU treaties, including those added at Lisbon.
	k. Proposals have been published by the EU institutions aimed at giving effect to the assurances given to the Irish and Czechs.

HEALTH

Ambulance Services: Private Sector

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what qualifications are required of staff working for private ambulance companies; and whether such staff and companies are subject to regulation.

Simon Burns: Since 1 April 2011 private ambulance providers were required to register with the Care Quality Commission.
	All paramedics as individual health care professionals are subject to statutory regulation in the United Kingdom by the Health Professions Council.

Ambulance Services: Private Sector

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to regulate the private ambulance sector.

Simon Burns: Since 1 April 2011 private ambulance providers were required to register with the Care Quality Commission and meet a set of 16 registration requirements.
	The 16 registration requirements reflect the essential levels of safety and quality of care that people should be able to expect, and are built around the main risks inherent in the provision of health and adult social care services.

Benzodiazepines

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1137-42W, on benzodiazepines, how many companies hold licences for the manufacture or distribution of (a) Nitrazepam, (b) Flurazepam, (c) Loprazolam, (d) Lormatazepam, (e) Temazepam, (f) Clonazepam, (g) Medazepam and (h) Midazolam; and how many of those licences were issued in the last three years.

Simon Burns: The current position is that:
	16 products are authorised in the United Kingdom containing nitrazepam and 16 different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them;
	Two products are authorised in the UK containing flurazepam and one company authorised to manufacture and distribute them;
	One product is authorised in the UK containing loprazolam;
	Six products are authorised in the UK containing lormetazepam and three different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them;
	10 products are authorised in the UK containing temazepam and six different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them;
	Nine products are authorised in the UK containing clonazepam and four different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them;
	There are no authorised products in the UK containing medazepam; and
	23 products are authorised in the UK containing midazolam and 10 different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them.
	Four clonazepam, two lormetazepam and five midazolam products have been authorised in the last three years.
	Details are as follows for all benzodiazepines.
	There are currently 173 products authorised in the UK containing benzodiazepines. There are 46 different companies authorised to manufacture and distribute them. 11 new marketing authorisations for benzodiazepines have been authorised in the last three years. Details for each benzodiazepine have been placed in the Library.
	This supersedes the information given to the hon. Member on 20 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1137-42W.

Cancer: Young People

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the retention of teenage and young adult cancer services within the national definitions of specialised services and the commissioning of such services by the NHS Commissioning Board.

Paul Burstow: Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill the NHS Commissioning Board will handle the future commissioning of specialised services. This will ensure consistency in planning and funding of specialised services for the benefit of patients with rare conditions.
	Ministers will be in a position to make final decisions on which services the NHS Commissioning Board will commission later this year.

Departmental Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid to officials in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies in (a) bonuses, (b) allowances and (c) other payments additional to basic salary in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what categories of payment may be made to officials in addition to basic salary; what the monetary value is of each category of payment; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest such payments made in each of the last two years.

Simon Burns: The information requested for the Department and its non-departmental public bodies has been placed in the Library. The information given relates to 2010-11 and 2011-12 to 31 December 2011.
	The Department has also published information on non-consolidated performance payments for 2010-11 and this is available on its website:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/HowDHworks/Transparency/index.htm
	For the Department itself, non-consolidated performance payments are an integral part of its reward strategy covering all staff.
	These payments are used to reward outstanding performance and behaviours in delivering the Department's agenda and do not add to future pay bill costs. For the senior civil service, the percentage of pay bill set aside for performance-related awards is based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body. For other grades, the Department has delegated authority to tailor reward packages to meet business needs and the percentage of base pay devoted to non-consolidated performance pay cannot increase in the pay freeze.
	The Department has a number of other additions to base pay, including scarce skills allowances and overtime. Different allowances and payments exist in each of the Department's, non-departmental public bodies.
	Most of the 20 largest payments made in each of the last two years relate to Clinical Excellence Awards which recognise and reward national health service consultants and academic general practitioners who perform over and above the standard expected in their role. Awards are given for quality and excellence, acknowledging exceptional personal contributions.

Diabetes

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to (a) provide information about and (b) offset the risk of diabetes among women aged between 15 and 34.

Paul Burstow: Type 1 diabetes is not currently preventable. Type 2 diabetes can be linked to obesity and inactivity. Information on diabetes for people of all ages is available on the NHS Choices website, including information on symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, and on the risk factors and prevention of Type 2 diabetes. We are also committed to the Change4life programme. This promotes healthy lifestyles, encouraging people to make simple changes such as eating more fruit and vegetables, cutting down on fatty foods, reducing their calorie consumption and being more active. Reducing risk factors and following a healthy lifestyle will help to prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
	Information is also available to the local commissioners of health care services. Clinical guidelines on diabetes and the NICE Quality Standard for Diabetes published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) emphasise the importance of patient education in helping people to manage their condition, and to reduce the risk of complications. The 2011-12 NHS Operating Framework also reiterates the need to commission patient structured education for people newly diagnosed with diabetes and at appropriate points in their life as their condition progresses.

Diabetes

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has put in place for better management of diabetes.

Paul Burstow: The Department asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce a clinical guideline and a Quality Standard for diabetes. These set out what good diabetes care and management looks like, for use by health care professionals and local commissioners in ensuring that local diabetes services are appropriate to their population's need.
	The NICE clinical guideline and Quality Standard also emphasise the importance of patient education. Joint working between the patient and professional is key to the management of diabetes. Patients should be offered structured education about their condition and its management, to help reduce complications and unnecessary hospital admissions.
	In addition, the 2011-12 NHS Operating Framework signalled the need to commission patient structured education for people newly diagnosed with diabetes and at appropriate points in their life as their condition progresses.

Health: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned to measure the subjective well-being of children.

Simon Burns: The Department's Policy Research Programme and the National Institute for Health Research have not commissioned research specifically to measure the subjective well-being of children, but fund a wide range of research relating to the well-being of children.
	The Office for National Statistics is working with a range of stakeholders to develop well-being measures for children and young people as part of the overall Measuring National Well-being Programme.

Health: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what methods are used by his Department to measure the effects of its decisions on the subjective well-being of children;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of the provisions of the Welfare Reform Bill on levels of subjective well-being of children.

Anne Milton: The Department has a wide range of indicators within the NHS Outcomes Framework and the forthcoming Public Health Outcomes Framework as a basis for indicating whether health related provision for children and young people is effective, improving and contributing positively to their development. For example, infant mortality (and neonatal mortality and stillbirths) as well as reducing unplanned hospitalisation of children with asthma, diabetes and epilepsy. However, the Department does not have a formal measure of the contribution of health to a child's subjective well-being.
	There is more to do and as our data improves, we want to ensure we have the best possible suite of measures to promote improvement. We have development work under way to improve the data collected on child health to ensure the outcomes frameworks as they develop can better drive the improvements for children's health.
	The impact of the Welfare Reform Bill on the subjective well-being of children is a matter for the Department for Work and Pensions.

NHS: Procurement

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what changes he has introduced in healthcare procurement since the publication of the 35th report from the Committee of Public Accounts on the procurement of consumables by NHS acute and foundation trusts, HC 875; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what mechanism the NHS has put in place to measure the effectiveness of procurement in terms of (a) cost, (b) resources, (c) procedures and (d) output.

Simon Burns: There are a number of actions the Department has committed to within the 35th report from the Committee of Public Accounts on the procurement of consumables in the national health service acute and foundation trusts.
	These are being monitored and progress reported to the Public Accounts Committee. The actions focus on providing guidance and networks for the NHS to use to improve NHS procurement.
	Procurement networks have been established, and standards for procurement in the NHS have been developed which describe what good practice at three levels of maturity for each standard. These will be launched in March 2012. The NHS procurement strategy is currently being drafted and will draw together all plans for improvements through local, regional and national initiatives as well as describing what has already been achieved.
	The 35th Report from the Committee of Public Accounts and the Operating Framework for the NHS 2012-13 both make commitments to the publication of an NHS procurement strategy in April 2012.
	This will include a set of standards for procurement in the NHS which will suggest key performance indicator's for each standard, these standards will be launched in March 2012. In addition the strategy will indicate the core measures which could be used to measure procurement in the NHS. However, there are currently no plans for the Department to collect and collate any performance information centrally.

Opiates: Prescriptions

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the guidance issued to GPs on the prescription of opiate-based drugs and medicines.

Simon Burns: We have made no such assessment.
	Prescribers have access to a wide variety of impartial, trustworthy information resources to support their prescribing. These include:
	the British National Formulary;
	independent advice and guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence;
	the Summary of Product Characteristics, provided by manufacturers as part of the regulatory process, for individual medicines; and
	the wealth of information available through NHS Evidence, and various academic and professional journals.
	National health service prescribers also have access to advice from the network of local drugs and therapeutics committees and primary care trust pharmaceutical advisers.
	In addition, those opiate-based medicines classed as controlled drugs are subject to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 as amended.

Prescriptions

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made on the number of uncollected NHS prescriptions in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of uncollected prescriptions in each year;
	(2)  whether he has any plans to take steps to reduce the number of uncollected NHS prescriptions.

Simon Burns: There is no estimate of the number of prescriptions uncollected in 2010 and 2011. Also, as there is no actual supply of a drug to a patient there is no cost of the drug to the national health service.
	Where a patient presents a prescription form to a dispensing contractor for dispensing, the prescription item would then be prepared ready for collection, However, if the patient does not return to collect the item, a dispensing contractor cannot make a claim for reimbursement, as the drug has not been supplied to the patient.
	While there are currently no plans to take steps to specifically reduce the number of uncollected prescriptions, pharmacies offer a range of services, which help patients to get the most out of their medicines, ranging from repeat dispensing, to the new medicine service and medicine use review.

Sunbeds

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the enforcement of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010; and what steps his Department has taken to ensure local authorities can take necessary enforcement actions;
	(2)  how many sunbed businesses have been prosecuted under the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 for allowing people aged under 18 to use sunbeds in England and Wales since April 2011.

Anne Milton: The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010, which came into effect on 8 April 2011, provides that responsibility for enforcement of the Act is a matter for local authorities. The Act makes provision about powers of entry and related matters. The Department has issued guidance for local authorities on the implementation of the Act—“Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010: Guidance on the implementation of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010”.
	This was accompanied by—“Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010: Information for Sunbed Businesses”. Copies of the documents have been placed in the library and are available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_125656
	The Department does not hold information on the number of sunbed businesses in England and Wales that have been prosecuted under the Act.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department provided to (a) The Art Room, (b) the National Portrait Gallery, (c) Mountain Rescue England, (d) the English Schools Swimming Association, (e) the Scout Association and (f) Missing Links UK in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department can confirm that no funding has been made available to the named organisations in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

JUSTICE

Crime: Children

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children under the age of 10 years were found to have committed (a) serious assault, (b) rape and (c) murder in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is 10 years. This means that only individuals aged 10 years or over can be prosecuted for a criminal offence and Ministry of Justice records do not include children under the age of criminal responsibility.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for criminal injuries compensation were ruled eligible in each year from 1997 to 2011.

Jonathan Djanogly: Figures covering the specified period are shown in the following table. The figures given show how many applicants were offered and accepted awards in each financial year, but a proportion of these applications will have been lodged in previous years.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of eligible applications 
			 1997-98 31,528 
			 1998-99 40,164 
			 1999-2000 39,513 
			 2000-01 36,753 
			 2001-02 39,631 
			 2002-03 42,136 
			 2003-04 41,204 
			 2004-05 35,334 
			 2005-06 33,681 
			 2006-07 31,387 
			 2007-08 39,046 
			 2008-09 36,354 
			 2009-10 37,844 
			 2010-11 39,807

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the backlog was of unprocessed applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on 1 January of each year from 1997 to 2012.

Jonathan Djanogly: CICA currently starts processing cases as soon as it receives them. Figures covering cases that were started but not yet closed at the beginning of each year are shown in the following table. These figures do not include cases lodged before CICA was established in 1996, which is why the figure increases sharply between 1997 and 1998.
	
		
			  Number of unprocessed applications 
			 1997 48,603 
			 1998 79,149 
			 1999 81,937 
		
	
	
		
			 2000 85,310 
			 2001 90,690 
			 2002 93,932 
			 2003 89,025 
			 2004 85,113 
			 2005 80,948 
			 2006 83,946 
			 2007 83,604 
			 2008 82,377 
			 2009 74,604 
			 2010 57,838 
			 2011 60,622 
			 2012 59,454

Prison Accommodation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2011, Official Report, columns 30-34W, on prison accommodation, whether the data includes figures for privately-run prisons.

Crispin Blunt: I can confirm to the right hon. Member that the data included in the answer of 5 December 2011, Official Report, columns 30-34W, on prison accommodation included figures for privately-run prisons.

DEFENCE

Army

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the size of the Army will be at the end of each calendar year from 2011 to 2015.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 23 November 2011
	The outcome of the strategic defence and security review in October 2010 announced a reduction by 7,000 personnel in the Regular Army, so that by 2015 the size shall be 95,000. Subsequently, the Defence Transformation announcement made by the then Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-645, confirmed that there would be an integrated Army of around 120,000 by 2020, comprising a trained strength of 82,000 Regulars and at least 30,000 Reserves, with a training margin of 8,000 Reserves. Across Defence, the Reserves will benefit from £1.5 billion investment over 10 years to reinvigorate their contribution to all three services.
	Specific detail on the size of the Army by year from 2011 to 2015 is the subject of further work and has not yet been determined.
	A redundancy process has already started, but natural turnover of personnel and a reduction in recruitment will be used before compulsory redundancy is applied.

Army: Uniforms

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value is of the contract for the new multi-terrain pattern uniform for the British Army; and where that uniform is being manufactured.

Peter Luff: The new multi-terrain pattern camouflage Personal Clothing System Combat Uniform (PCS CU) is being procured as part of a larger contract supplying a wide range of military clothing. The cost of providing the PCS CU to UK armed forces personnel is approximately £12 million in total. The new uniforms are being supplied by a UK company which has subcontracted manufacturing work to a company based in China.

Harrier Aircraft

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what costs his Department incurred in respect of (a) legal, (b) consultancy and (c) currency brokerage costs associated with (i) the sale of the Harrier aircraft to the US and (ii) the retirement of the fleet; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether his Department is likely to incur any costs or receive any further invoices from the retirement of the Harrier fleet and sale of 72 aircraft to the US; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether payment for the 72 Harrier aircraft being sold to the US Marine Corps has been received in full; whether payment is being made in cash or in kind; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what revenue has accrued to his Department from the sale of Harrier aircraft spares and other associated support equipment; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: No external legal or currency brokerage costs were incurred by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the retirement of the Harrier fleet or for the sale to the US Government. The external consultancy costs for these two activities were £0.7 million and £0.4 million respectively. We do not expect to incur any further costs relating to the retirement and sale to the US Government of the Harrier fleet.
	The value of the sale is $180 million (around £110 million). This figure includes 72 Harrier airframes, spares and associated support equipment. The MOD will receive monetary payment from the US Government for the full value of the Harrier sale before 1 April 2012. Overall £1 billion will be saved from removing the Harrier from service. We continue to operate Tornado, Typhoon and, in the future, JSF.
	As agreed with HM Treasury as part of the spending review process, the revenue from the sale of Harrier assets will be retained by the Ministry of Defence and reinvested by the Department in key priorities as part of the Defence Budget.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to the public purse was of the recent purchase of Danish Merlin HC.3A helicopters.

Peter Luff: The previous Government purchased six Danish Merlin helicopters in 2007 to boost the UK fleet to 28. The cost of acquiring the helicopters was £203.3 million. This figure includes the cost of converting the ex-Danish aircraft for UK operational use, purchase of an initial stock of spares and the cost of procuring six replacement Merlin aircraft for Denmark. The modified UK Merlin Mk3a helicopters entered service in 2008 and the replacement aircraft were accepted by the Danish in 2009.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the ability to conduct helicopter operations of the postponement of the Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study decision until 2012.

Peter Luff: The Defence Rotary Wing Capability Study reported to the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in November 2011. The Vice-Chief asked for some further work to be done before the study is finalised, and this work is currently in progress.
	The study has had no negative impact on current helicopter operations and completing the study will help us to continue to conduct helicopter operations in the most effective and efficient way into the future.

Type 26 Frigates

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the potential effect of implementing the Strategic Defence and Security review on the (a) overall capability and (b) in- service dates of Type 26 frigates.

Peter Luff: The strategic defence and security review (SDSR) decided to merge the two classes of Future Surface Combatant, previously known as the CI and the C2 variants, into the Type 26 Global Combat Ship. The Type 26 combines advantages of both variants into a versatile ship, designed to readily change roles and capabilities depending on the strategic circumstances. The Type 26 in-service date has not been changed by the SDSR.

Type 45 Destroyers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is still his Department's intention to fit Type 45 destroyers with the Co-operative Engagement Capability system.

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which ships will be fitted with Co-operative Engagement Capability.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to install the Co-operative Engagement Capability in Type 45 destroyers.

Peter Luff: The Department's planning assumption is that the Co-operative Engagement Capability (CEC) is fitted on to Type 45 Destroyers and Type 26 Global Combat Ships. However, the decision on the ship fit plan will not be taken until the project achieves Main Gate approval. This is currently planned for mid-2012. If approved, it is anticipated that CEC will be installed on to Type 45s from 2018.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Food Waste

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to reduce the level of food wasted by food retailers and manufacturers.

Caroline Spelman: Food waste in the UK is valued at £17 billion a year and when landfilled produces methane. Working with retailers and manufacturers, we are reducing food waste through the Courtauld Commitment, helping households waste less and save money through WRAP'S Love Food Hate Waste campaign, and clearing up confusion with our date-labelling guidance.

Single Farm Payment

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress her Department has made on improving the process for making payments to farmers under the Single Farm Payment scheme.

James Paice: In December 2011, the Rural Payments Agency made the highest ever proportion of payments to English farmers under the Single Payment Scheme in the opening month of the scheme payment window. Latest figures show a total of £1.503 billion had been paid to 95,702 farmers as at 18 January. This demonstrates good progress, but I remain committed to ensuring continued improvements in the level of service farmers receive from RPA.

Conservation Zones

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future of marine conservation zones; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: This Government are fully committed to the establishment of marine conservation zones as part of a network of conservation sites under the Marine and Coastal Access Act. Our plans for marine conservation zones were set out in a written ministerial statement on 15 November 2011, Official Report, columns 35-36WS.

Forestry

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the chair of the Independent Forestry Panel on its interim report.

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the chair of the Independent Forestry Panel on its interim report.

James Paice: The Chair of the Independent Panel on Forestry informed me on 28 November 2011 of the Progress Report's content.

Jobs and Growth

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to promote jobs and growth in the food production and environmental industries.

Richard Benyon: In the Rural strand of the Growth Review, published alongside the Autumn Statement, we announced an Exports Action Plan and an innovation summit to support the agri-food industry.
	We also announced a new £15 million loan fund for community renewables, £15 million for Rural Growth Networks and support for mid-sized businesses to access the £6 billion a year of savings available from resource efficiency.

Coastal Areas

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what progress has been made by Natural England on reaching agreements for the new England Coastal Path to cross through park land in (a) Weymouth Bay between Portland and Lulworth, (b) the Durham, Sunderland and Hartlepool coast between Seaton Carew and South Bents, (c) the Norfolk coast between Weybourne and Sea Palling, (d) the Somerset coast between Minehead and Brean Down and (e) the Cumbria coast between Allonby and Whitehaven;
	(2)  what progress Natural England has made in discussions with landowners to find voluntary means for the passing of the English Coastal Path through park land.

Richard Benyon: Where park land may be affected by the possible alignment of the coastal route under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, Natural England will hold discussions during the development of its proposals for each stretch of the coastal route with the landowner and those with a legal interest in that land to seek to agree an alignment of the route through the park.
	In March 2011, Natural England submitted its coastal access report for the stretch of the English coast at Weymouth between Portland and Lulworth Bay. The report includes a proposal for the coastal route to pass through Nothe Municipal Gardens, Weymouth, which are owned by Weymouth and Portland borough council. The council has agreed to make a dedication of a coastal route through the Gardens.
	Natural England is developing its proposals for the coastal route in a further five areas and it has currently identified one area of park land in Somerset which may be affected by the possible alignment of the route. Natural England has scheduled its discussions with landowners and others with an interest in proposals which may affect park land in Somerset between January and the end of March this year. No other areas of park land have been identified in the remaining four areas.

Coastal Areas

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of fish procured by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies is sourced from Marine Stewardship Council sustainable sources.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA has contracted Eurest Services Ltd to provide catering services at nine sites; this covers the core Department, executive agencies (AHVLA, Cefas, Fera, RPA and VMD) and the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
	Eurest's contract with DEFRA requires that it meet the mandatory Government Buying Standards (GBS) for Food and Catering Services, including that 100% of fish should be sustainably sourced. The Department is unable to provide information on the percentage of fish from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sources; however it can confirm that fish is not sourced from the Marine Conservation Society ‘Fish to Avoid’ list. Eurest has made assurances that it will work towards full compliance with the GBS requirements and will report the next quarterly performance against the standards, covering the period to December 2011, by the end of January.

Departmental Redundancy Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much redundancy pay was paid to civil servants in her Department in each month between September and November 2011.

Richard Benyon: Details of compensation payments made to staff leaving core-DEFRA in the period September to November 2011 are shown in the following table. These payments were made under the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme to staff leaving the Department on a voluntary exit basis.
	
		
			  £ 
			 September 162,662 
			 October 42,503 
			 November 0 
			 Total 205,164

Fisheries

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress she has made in negotiations on the regional management of fisheries.

Richard Benyon: As UK Fisheries Minister, I continue to have discussions on reform of the common fisheries policy, including on the regionalisation of fisheries management, with a wide range of people and organisations. They include the EU Commission, members of the UK and European Parliaments, Ministers from other member states as well as representatives of our fishing and related industries.
	DEFRA officials continue to work closely with those of other member states, through formal and informal discussions, to build on the Commission's reform proposals and identify practical, legally robust mechanisms to decentralise decision-making. I will continue to press the case for genuine reform as negotiations develop in the Council and European Parliament during 2012.

Water: Climate Change

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department is providing for investment to improve infrastructure for the purposes of better conserving water supplies in light of changing rainfall patterns; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Water companies have statutory duties to maintain adequate supplies of wholesome water, and prepare and maintain water resources management plans which set out how each water company will manage its water resources to ensure a sustainable supply and demand balance over the next 25 years. Water companies must take into account the implications of climate change in their water resources management plans.
	It is also for the water company to justify any proposals for new water supply resources (e.g. reservoirs) in their water resource management plans on grounds of need, and it must take account of economic and environmental considerations when doing so. Water companies should look at the full range of options for reducing water demand. Where the projected demand reductions are insufficient or unjustified in terms of cost, water companies should also proceed with the development of sustainable new supply side measures.

TREASURY

Children: Day Care

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the amount of revenue that would be generated by (a) one parent and (b) two parent families returning to full-time work through the funding of 15 hours of nursery provision for three and four year olds; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: The Treasury have not made any estimates of the impact of the free entitlement on tax revenues through higher labour market participation. The principal aim of the Government's foundation years provision is promoting child development, so that all children have a fair chance to succeed at school and in later life.

Corporation Tax

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the reduction in the amount of corporation tax paid by (a) banks, (b) insurance companies, (c) hedge funds and (d) private equity as a result of the reduction in the rate of corporation tax since May 2010.

David Gauke: The reductions in the main rate of corporation tax (CT) announced in June Budget 2010 and Budget 2011 first came into effect from April 2011. The impact of this cut will be first seen in CT receipts figures for 2011-12.
	Figures for CT net receipts from 2000-01 to 2010-11 paid by the financial sector are available in Table 11.1A of HMRC's CT Statistics publication. The CT receipts figures for 2011-12 will be available when this publication is updated in the summer. The current publication is available on the internet at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/corporate_tax/corporation-tax-statistics.pdf
	HMRC produced and published Official Statistics relating to Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and CT receipts from the banking sector on 31 August 2011. A link is provided here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/banking/menu.htm
	As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in his first Budget, we also introduced a Bank Levy from 1 January 2011. This permanent levy on banks' balance sheets is expected to raise over £2.5 billion each year.

Financial Services: EU Law

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his policy is on the European Commission's (a) review of accounting directives and (b) transparency directive;
	(2)  whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment of the European Commission's (a) review of accounting directives and (b) transparency directive;
	(3)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's (a) review of accounting directives and (b) transparency directive; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(4)  what his policy is on the proposed packaged retail investment products directive;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposed reform of credit rating agencies;
	(6)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's review of the undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities directive; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(7)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposal for central securities depositories; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(8)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed revision of the markets in financial instruments and market abuse directives; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(9)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposals for a framework for crisis prevention and management for banks; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(10)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed Single Euro Payments Area regulation; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(11)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed directive on mortgage credit; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(12)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed CRD4 Revision of the capital requirements directive for banks; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(13)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's recommendation on access to a basic bank account; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(14)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's review of the insurance mediation directive; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(15)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's packaged retail investment products directive; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(16)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposal for a venture capital regime; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(17)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed reform of the audit sector; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(18)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's credit rating agency reforms; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(19)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed solvency II implementing measures; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(20)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on deposit guarantee schemes; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(21)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed regulation on over-the-counter derivatives; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(22)  what internal papers have been prepared by his Department on the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on investor compensation schemes; and if he will place a copy of each such paper in the Library;
	(23)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed reform of the audit sector; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposed reforms;
	(24)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposal for a venture capital regime; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposal;
	(25)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposal for central securities depositories; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposal;
	(26)  what his policy is on the European Commission's recommendation on access to a basic bank account; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the recommendation;
	(27)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed revision of the markets in financial instruments and market abuse directives; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment of the proposals;
	(28)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposals for a framework for crisis prevention and management for banks; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposals;
	(29)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed Single Europe Payments Area regulation; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposals;
	(30)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed directive on mortgage credit; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposed directive;
	(31)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed CRD4 Revision of the capital requirements directive for banks; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposed revision;
	(32)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on investor compensation schemes; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposed revision;
	(33)  what his policy is on the European Commission's review of the undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities directive; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the review;
	(34)  what his policy is on the European Commission's review of the insurance mediation directive; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment of the review;
	(35)  what his policy is on the European Commission's packaged retail investment products directive; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the directive;
	(36)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed regulation on over-the-counter derivatives; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposed regulation;
	(37)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on deposit guarantee schemes; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment of the proposed revision;
	(38)  what his policy is on the European Commission's proposed solvency II implementing measures; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the proposed measures;
	(39)  what his policy is on the European Commission's reform of the regulation of credit rating agencies; and whether he has carried out a regulatory impact assessment on the reform.

Mark Hoban: When EU legislation is being reviewed or prepared, responses by the UK authorities to a public consultation will be made available on the Commission website. When EU legislation is proposed an explanatory memorandum is prepared outlining the Government's views. A provisional assessment of the proposal is also prepared. These are public documents that are available in the Library of the House.

Financial Services: EU Law

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's (a) review of accounting directives and (b) transparency directive;
	(2)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the (a) review of accounting directives and (b) transparency directive;
	(3)  what recent representations he has received from industry on the European Commission's (a) review of accounting directives and (b) transparency directive;
	(4)  what recent discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's (a) review of accounting directives and (b) transparency directive;
	(5)  when he next plans to discuss the European Commission's (a) review of accounting directives and (b) transparency directive with his EU counterparts;
	(6)  what meetings he has had with (a) the European Commission and (b) his EU counterparts on the proposed packaged retail investment products directive;
	(7)  what representations he has received from the financial industry on the European Commission's proposed packaged retail investment products directive;
	(8)  what representations he has received from the (a) Bank of England and (b) financial sector on the European Commission's proposed reform of credit rating agencies;
	(9)  what meetings he has had with (a) the European Commission and (b) his EU counterparts on the European Commission's proposed reform of credit rating agencies;
	(10)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with, the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed reform of the audit sector;
	(11)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed reform of the audit sector; and when he next plans to discuss the proposed reform with his EU counterparts;
	(12)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials in his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed reform of the audit sector;
	(13)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's proposal for a venture capital regime;
	(14)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposal for a venture capital regime; and when he next plans to discuss the proposal with his EU counterparts;
	(15)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposal for a venture capital regime;
	(16)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's proposal for central securities depositories;
	(17)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's central securities depositories; and when he next plans to discuss the proposal with his EU counterparts;
	(18)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposal for central securities depositories;
	(19)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's recommendations on access to a basic bank account;
	(20)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's recommendation on access to a basic bank account; and when he next plans to discuss the proposal with his EU counterparts;
	(21)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's recommendation on access to a basic bank account;
	(22)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed revision of the markets in financial instruments and market abuse directives;
	(23)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed revision of the market in financial instruments and market abuse directives; and when he next plans to discuss the proposed revision with his EU counterparts;
	(24)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed revision of the markets in financial instruments and market abuse directives;
	(25)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's proposals for a framework for crisis prevention and management for banks;
	(26)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposals for a framework for crisis prevention and management for banks; and when he plans to discuss the proposals with his EU counterparts;
	(27)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposals for a framework for crisis prevention and management for banks;
	(28)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with, the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed Single Europe Payments Area regulation;
	(29)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed Single Europe Payments Area regulation; and when he next plans to discuss the proposals with his EU counterparts;
	(30)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed Single Europe Payments Area regulation;
	(31)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with, the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed directive on mortgage credit;
	(32)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed directive on mortgage credit; and when he next plans to discuss the proposed directive with his EU counterparts;
	(33)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed directive on mortgage credit;
	(34)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with, the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed CRD4 Revision of the capital requirements directive for banks;
	(35)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed CRD4 Revision of the capital requirements directive for banks; and when he next plans to discuss the proposed revision with his EU counterparts;
	(36)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed CRD4 Revision of the capital requirements directive for banks;
	(37)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on investor compensation schemes;
	(38)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on investor compensation schemes; and when he next plans to discuss the proposed revision with his EU counterparts;
	(39)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on investor compensation schemes;
	(40)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's review of the undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities directive;
	(41)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's review of the undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities directive; and when he next plans to discuss the review with his EU counterparts;
	(42)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's review of the undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities directive;
	(43)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's review of the insurance mediation directive;
	(44)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's review of the insurance mediation directive; and when he next plans to discuss the review with his EU counterparts;
	(45)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's review of the insurance mediation directive;
	(46)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's packaged retail investment products directive;
	(47)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's packaged retail investment products directive; and when he next plans to discuss the directive with his EU counterparts;
	(48)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's packaged retail investment products directive;
	(49)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed regulation on over-the-counter derivatives;
	(50)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed regulation on over-the-counter derivatives; and when he next plans to discuss the proposed regulation with his EU counterparts;
	(51)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed regulation on over-the-counter derivatives;
	(52)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on deposit guarantee schemes;
	(53)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on deposit guarantee schemes; and when he next plans to discuss the proposed revision with his EU counterparts;
	(54)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed revision of the directive on deposit guarantee schemes;
	(55)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with the banking industry on the European Commission's proposed solvency II implementing measures;
	(56)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's proposed solvency II implementing measures; and when he next plans to discuss the proposed measure with his EU counterparts;
	(57)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's proposed solvency II implementing measures;
	(58)  what recent (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with, the banking industry on the European Commission's reform of the regulation of credit rating agencies;
	(59)  on which occasions he has discussed with his EU counterparts the European Commission's reform of the regulation of credit rating agencies; and when he next plans to discuss the reform with his EU counterparts;
	(60)  how many meetings with the European Commission officials of his Department have attended on the European Commission's reform of the regulation of credit rating agencies.

Mark Hoban: Ministers and officials, as part of the process of policy development and delivery, have meetings with and receive representations from many European and international counterparts, and a wide variety of organisations and individuals in the public and private sector. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and representations.

National Minimum Wage Act 1998

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 in each of the last three financial years.

David Gauke: holding answer 16 January 2013
	The cost of national minimum wage enforcement in HMRC for each of the last three financial years has been:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 7,495,445 
			 2009-10 7,710,270 
			 2010-11 7,909,357

Non-domestic Rates

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of calculating the rateable value of premises occupied by small businesses on a zonal basis;
	(2)  on what basis premises are defined as non-retail for the purpose of calculating business rates.

David Gauke: All rateable property is assessed by estimating its rental value in the open market at the standard valuation date, currently 1 April 2008. To arrive at this, valuation officers may use different valuation methods for different types of property but will follow the normal market practice.
	It is usual for the market to value most standard type shops by dividing them into a number of zones. Zones are measured from the front of the property with the zone nearest the front of the shop (Zone A) being the most valuable, with the zone behind that being half as valuable and so on. In contrast the market tends to value large shops at a price per metre on the overall area and valuation officers will usually adopt this approach.
	Premises are generally valued for rating on the basis of their current use. Properties used for retail purposes are valued on the basis of their rental value for retail; premises used for non-retail purposes are valued on the basis of their general non-retail use.

Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

David Mowat: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reform Empty Property Rate Relief to help small and medium-sized businesses; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: As with all taxes and reliefs, HM Treasury keeps the application of business rates to empty property under review. The Government are committed to supporting business and as part of the Autumn Statement announced a further six month extension of the Small Business Rate Relief holiday until April 2013, which will benefit over half a million small businesses.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1157-58W, on PAYE, how many employers joining the PAYE Real Time Information pilot in (a) April 2012 and (b) July 2012 will be businesses with (i) zero to nine, (ii) 10 to 49, (iii) 50 to 249 and (iv) more than 250 employees.

David Gauke: The number of employers expected to join the PAYE Real Time Information pilot during the first quarter of 2012-13 can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 0-9 30 
			 10-49 49 
			 50-249 62 
			 More than 250 159 
		
	
	We do not yet have a breakdown for employers joining the PAYE Real Time Information pilot from July 2012 as the numbers and participants have not yet been confirmed.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1157-58W, on PAYE, whether his Department has sought the consent of the employees of the 300 firms in the pilot of PAYE Real Time Information; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC has not sought the consent of the employees of the firms in the pilot of PAYE Real Time Information. We are unaware whether the firms participating in the pilot have sought the consent or informed their employees.
	An employer's responsibility for calculating and recording PAYE deductions will be largely unchanged under Real Time Information but PAYE information will be reported more regularly to HMRC as an integral part of payroll activity. Employees of pilot employers should not notice any difference to how their PAYE affairs are dealt with.
	The reporting of Real Time Information to HMRC by pilot employers will be covered by amendments to the PAYE regulations.

Public Expenditure

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding his Department provided for (a) the childcare element of working tax credit, (b) electronic childcare vouchers, (c) income support for the lone parent group, (d) child tax credits, (e) working tax credits, (f) tax credits in total, (g) child benefit, (h) maternity leave and (i) nurse family partnerships in each year since 1997.

David Gauke: holding answer 12 January 2012
	HMRC finalised National Statistics for personal tax credits provides total tax credits entitlement split by working tax credit (WTC), child tax credit (CTC), and the child care element of WTC entitlement for all years since 2003-04 when tax credits in its current form was introduced. These can be found in the HMRC publications 'Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised annual awards' here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/final-award-main.htm
	Table 1.1 on page 20 of the 2009-10 Finalised Statistics (link as follows) provides this information in a time-series going back to 2003-04 for total tax credits, CTC and WTC:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-final-awards-may11.pdf
	Child care entitlement is not included separately in this table, but is available elsewhere in the statistics: in table 2.4 in the publications up to and including 2007-08, beyond that it can be found in table 3.2.
	Total expenditure on child benefit going back to 2003-04 can be found in the HMRC Inland Revenue Trust Statements found here:
	
		
			  Link Page No. 
			 2009-10 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accs-0910.pdf 42 
			 2008-09 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-accs-0809.pdf 39 
			 2007-08 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-dep-acct0708.pdf 39 
			 2006-07 http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/hmrc-06-07-acc.pdf 33 
			 2005-06 http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel= pageVAT_ShowContent&propertyType=document&columns= 1&id=HMCE_PROD1_025710 33 
			 2004-05 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110202154021/http://hmrc.gov.uk/about/ir-report2005.pdf 20 
			 2003-04 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110202154021/http://hmrc.gov.uk/pdfs/report2004.pdf 58 
		
	
	Prior to this, child benefit for Great Britain was administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. Expenditure for each year going back to the 1950s can be found here (row 8 of table 1a):
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/autumn_2011.xls
	The Family Nurse Partnership programme is primarily funded locally by primary care trusts, in some cases with a contribution from local authorities.
	Funding from primary care trusts is drawn from the funding which the Department of Health allocates annually to PCTs. The Government does not collect information centrally on how much each PCT chooses to spend on the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme.
	However, early evaluation suggests that the approximate local cost of delivering FNP is approximately £3,000 per family per year.
	Families receive assistance from FNP for up to two and a half years.
	The total number of clients to have received assistance from the FNP programme to date is over 8,000.
	The approximate number of new families who have joined FNP each year from 2007 was 1,189 in 2007-08, 889 in 2008-09, 2,331 in 2009-10, 2,583 in 2010-11 and 1,367 so far in 2011-12.
	In addition to local funding, the Government have provided a small amount of central funding which is used to support the implementation of the programme, usually in the first year of local delivery.
	The value of the relief from income tax and national insurance for employer-supported child care vouchers, introduced in 2005, is estimated to be as follows:
	
		
			  Value (£ million) 
			 2007-08 300 
			 2008-09 400 
			 2009-10 460 
			 2010-11 530 
			 2011-12 670 
		
	
	Estimates are not available for 2005-06 and 2006-07.
	Total expenditure on income support for lone parents (using the National Statistics definition) is estimated to be as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2000-01 4,444 
			 2001-02 4,623 
			 2002-03 4,787 
			 2003-04 4,888 
			 2004-05 4,597 
			 2005-06 3,943 
			 2006-07 3,604 
			 2007-08 3,386 
			 2008-09 3,060 
			 2009-10 2,842 
			 2010-11 2,615 
		
	
	Please note that this includes cases who continue to receive the child element of child tax credit through benefits. These cases are also included in HMRC's child tax credit expenditure statistics.
	IS for lone parents is defined hierarchically so that any lone parents on income support receiving an incapacity benefit are not classed as lone parents so not included in the expenditure figures above.
	Expenditure for IS lone parents under the current National Statistics definition is not available pre-2000-01. However, expenditure figures under the previously used definition can be found in DWP's Benefit Expenditure Tables:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/autumn_2011.xls
	Total expenditure for statutory maternity pay, and maternity allowance (National Statistics definition) is estimated to be as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Statutory maternity pay Maternity allowance 
			 1997-98 502 36 
			 1998-99 553 38 
			 1999-2000 635 38 
			 2000-01 648 45 
			 2001-02 636 56 
			 2002-03 724 69 
			 2003-04 1,035 128 
			 2004-05 1,291 150 
			 2005-06 1,184 164 
			 2006-07 1,318 175 
			 2007-08 1,629 247 
			 2008-09 (1)1,953 321 
			 2009-10 (1)2,023 345 
			 2010-11 (2)2,093 343 
			 (1) Provisional outturn figure from HMRC and subject to change following late recoveries or adjustments by employers. (2) DWP Autumn Statement 2011 forecast no official outturn data yet available. 
		
	
	Outturn figures are consistent with those in latest published DWP benefit expenditure tables available here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=medium_term

Radio Frequencies

Andrew Percy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has assessed the Deloitte report on the economic impact of the deployment of 4G mobile technology in the US published in August 2011; what assessment he has made of the likely economic impact of the deployment of 4G in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as the Minister with responsibility for spectrum policy.
	I have not made any assessment of the Deloitte report to which the hon. Member refers and my Department has made no estimate of the economic effect of the deployment of 4G services in the UK. In June 2009, Ofcom concluded that the net benefit of clearing the 800 MHz band so that it was suitable for 4G use, over and above that of releasing the UK's digital dividend as then constituted, could lie within the range of £2-3 billion.
	Currently, officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Shareholder Executive are in the process of commissioning work to identify major users of spectrum and estimate their value to the economy (both overall value and what is attributable to spectrum use). The values to be ascertained would be current (2011) and future (over 5, 10 years). The results are expected to be made available to the Department in July.

Tax Evasion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reduce (a) tax evasion and (b) money laundering.

David Gauke: holding answer 16 January 2012
	The Government are determined to tackle tax evasion of all kinds and ensure that the tax system operates fairly and efficiently for all. As part of the 2010 Spending Review settlement we announced that just over £900 million would be made available to HMRC to step up their activity in tackling tax loss. So for the four-year period from April 2011 HMRC will reinvest £917 million of the savings they make to maximise additional revenues, which will include putting extra resource into tackling both evasion and avoidance. This reinvestment will fund a range of measures which will enable HMRC to bring in around £7 billion each year by 2014-15 in additional revenues.
	HMRC acts as a supervisor under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 for the following four business sectors:
	Money service businesses
	High value dealers
	Trust or company service providers
	Accountancy service providers.
	The regulations have been put in place to make money laundering more difficult for criminals and terrorists by increasing awareness of how businesses could be used to launder money and putting in place processes to allow them to report any possible instances of such. All businesses that are covered by the regulations also have to put in place suitable anti-money-laundering controls to prevent them being used for money laundering. These include appointing a “nominated officer”, checking the identity of customers and keeping all relevant documents. Businesses must also report any suspicious activity to the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Businesses that fail to comply with the regulations and other related legislation are subject to financial penalties or prosecution. Money service businesses and trust or company service providers may also have their registration cancelled.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the likely effect on developing countries of the proposed changes in the Finance Bill to the rules governing Controlled Foreign Companies.

David Gauke: Written representations have been received from NGOs on the potential impact of the reform of the Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules on developing countries.
	Ministers and officials have an ongoing dialogue with NGOs on issues with which they are concerned.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on developing countries of the proposed changes in the Finance Bill to the rules governing Controlled Foreign Companies.

David Gauke: The Government have not produced an assessment of the effect on developing countries of the proposed changes to the CFC rules as these rules are designed to prevent artificial diversion of UK profits. The Government work through a variety of channels to deliver high quality capacity building in developing country tax administrations to ensure that these countries are in a position to collect the tax they are owed.

Welfare Tax Credits: Public Houses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of publicans who are in receipt of tax credits.

David Gauke: This information is available only at disproportionate cost.

EDUCATION

Academies: Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements are in place to audit financial expenditure in academies.

Nick Gibb: Academies are operated by charitable Trusts that are incorporated as companies limited by guarantee. Academy Trusts must comply with the Companies Act 2006 and this includes the preparation of annual financial statements ("accounts"). The accounts must report a Trust's income and expenditure during its accounting year, and its assets and liabilities at the end of the year. Under the Act the accounts must be audited by a registered auditor and filed with the registrar of companies to provide public access. The statutory requirement to produce annual accounts, to have them audited and to publish them is also set out in Academy Trust Funding Agreements with the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove). Additionally Funding Agreements allow for the books and accounts of the Trust to be open at all reasonable times to officials of the Department for Education and the National Audit Office for inspection.

Curriculum

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made on his plans to increase the length of the school day for maintained schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government have made it easier for schools that want to change their school hours to do so. We have given schools greater freedom and responsibility as to how they plan their school day by revoking the School Session Times (England) Regulations (1999), which prescribed the circumstances for changing the length of a school day for community and voluntary controlled schools. Since September 2011, schools and their governing bodies can take decisions about the length of the school day in whatever way they consider appropriate according to local needs and circumstances. Academies, foundation schools and voluntary aided schools already had this freedom.

Curriculum: Design

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the learning objectives are of the design and technology curriculum.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 16 January 2012
	The learning objectives for design and technology within the current National Curriculum are for pupils to learn how to:
	develop, plan and communicate their ideas about design projects;
	work with tools, equipment, materials and components to make quality products;
	evaluate the appropriate processes and products required for individual projects; and
	develop knowledge and understanding of materials and components.
	In addition, at Key Stage 3, pupils are expected to develop knowledge and understanding of structures, and (where appropriate) knowledge and understanding of systems and control.

Free School Meals

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals were entered for (i) GCSEs and (ii) A levels awarded by the (A) AQA, (B) Edexel and (C) OCR exam board in each year since 2000; and what proportion of the total number of pupils entered for (1) GCSEs and (2) A levels these figures represent.

Nick Gibb: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what the (a) average mark and (b) equivalent grade achieved by students sitting a GCSE was in (i) English, (ii) mathematics, (iii) French, (iv) religious education, (v) geography, (vi) physics, (vii) double science and (viii) overall through (A) Edexcel, (B) WJEC, (C) OCR and (D) AQA in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many students were entered for a GCSE in (a) English, (b) mathematics, (c) French, (d) religious education, (e) geography, (f) physics, (g) double science and (h) total through (i) Edexcel, (ii) WJEC, (iii) OCR and (iv) AQA in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold information on the average marks obtained in GCSE or equivalent qualifications. Information on entries and attainment of pupils in GCSE qualifications by subject is published regularly, most recently in “GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2010/11 (Provisional)” (Tables 7-11) available from our website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001034/index.shtml
	The information requested for 2009 and 2010 is shown in the following table. Information for 2011 will not be available until late January. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 GCSE attempts and achievements (1)  in selected subjects for selected awarding bodies of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in schools (numbers) (2) , Year: 2008/09 and 2009/10 (3)  (Final), Coverage: England 
			 (A) Edexcel, 2008/ 0 9 
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (Single Award) (ii) Mathematics (iii) French (iv) Religious Studies (v) Geography (vi) Physics (viii) Total— single awards (includes subjects not listed) 
			 Grade A* 911 15,498 4,196 6,438 3,376 1,469 65,118 
			  A 3,936 44,972 6,470 12,836 4,040 2,848 131,496 
			  B 6,115 63,834 8,950 15,227 4,115 2,916 174,219 
			  C 4,887 81,203 11,574 13,137 4,788 1,808 192,530 
			  D 2,723 52,366 8,058 7,919 3,114 526 119,259 
			  E 1,752 35,058 3,681 5,563 1,516 95 69,537 
			  F 739 20,978 1,458 3,676 685 28 37,646 
			  G 295 9,009 544 2,069 260 2 16,292 
			  Q (Pending) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			  U 154 2,879 143 973 283 1 6,820 
			  X (No result) 26 1,972 111 144 40 1 3,137 
			  Total entries 21,538 327,769 45,185 67,982 22,217 9,694 816,056 
		
	
	
		
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (Double Award) vii) Double Science 
			 Grade A*A* 22 0 
			  A*A 79 0 
			  AA 197 0 
			  AB 293 0 
			  BB 470 0 
			  BC 533 0 
			  CC 570 0 
			  CD 300 0 
			  DD 143 0 
			  DE 127 0 
			  EE 88 0 
			  EF 49 0 
			  FF 34 0 
			  FG 15 0 
			  GG 12 0 
			  U 4 1 
			  X (No result) 2 0 
			  Total entries 2,938 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Edexcel, 2009/10 
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (Single Award) (ii) Mathematics (iii) French (iv) Religious Studies (v) Geography (vi) Physics (viii) Total—single awards (includes subjects not listed) 
			          
			 Grade A* 1,098 18,626 4,172 6,011 3,386 1,691 66,970 
			  A 4,033 50,421 6,749 13,832 4,167 3,664 140,407 
			  B 5,891 68,274 8,986 16,496 3,950 3,648 180,868 
			  C 5,149 90,395 10,962 13,578 4,820 2,274 201,101 
			  D 2,577 49,088 7,219 8,143 3,091 631 111,696 
			  E 1,534 34,480 3,441 5,405 1,477 99 66,238 
			  F 665 25,283 1,463 3,585 574 25 41,030 
			  G 236 10,790 518 2,062 195 6 17,734 
		
	
	
		
			  Q (Pending) 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 
			  U 123 2,897 126 1,002 226 2 6,722 
			  X (No result) 26 2,471 97 125 31 0 3,559 
			  Total entries 21,332 352,726 43,733 70,239 21,917 12,040 836,327 
		
	
	
		
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (Double Award) 
			 Grade A*A* 27 
			  A*A 92 
			  AA 228 
			  AB 357 
			  BB 472 
			  BC 580 
			  CC 521 
			  CD 243 
			  DD 119 
			  DE 91 
			  EE 80 
			  EF 49 
			  FF 27 
			  FG 18 
			  GG 3 
			  U 2 
			  Total entries 2,909 
			 Note: Edexcel offers a double award in English, double grades not available here for subjects other than English and Double Science. 
		
	
	
		
			 (B) WJEC, 2008/09 
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (ii) Mathematics (iii) French (iv) Religious Studies (v) Geography (vi) Physics (vii) Double Science (viii) Total (includes subjects not listed) 
			 Grade A* 3,219 42 288 917 263 196 0 12,202 
			  A 9,733 109 647 1,790 474 183 0 28,674 
			  B 18,804 157 859 2,472 629 90 0 47,567 
			  C 28,791 346 1,166 2,427 1,077 36 0 68,568 
			  D 17,368 202 938 1,283 827 4 0 40,321 
			  E 9,052 170 496 1,041 396 0 0 19,911 
			  F 4,320 169 213 711 235 0 0 9,525 
			  G 1,830 140 65 415 105 0 0 4,323 
			  U 1,189 123 21 192 73 0 0 3,512 
			  X (No result) 170 52 13 72 9 0 0 619 
			  Total entries 94,476 1,510 4,706 11,320 4,088 509 0 235,222 
		
	
	
		
			 WJEC, 2009/10 
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (ii) Mathematics (iii) French (iv) Religious Studies (v) Geography (vi) Physics (viii) Total (includes subjects not listed) 
			 Grade A* 3,726 33 250 1,084 320 203 12,900 
			  A 11,259 79 815 2,291 556 226 33,108 
			  B 21,517 139 1,115 3,090 681 153 54,601 
			  C 34,312 378 1,493 3,020 1,189 82 76,464 
		
	
	
		
			  D 18,858 233 1,202 1,509 921 22 42,977 
			  E 9,337 183 569 1,200 445 2 20,096 
			  F 4,472 183 237 819 210 1 9,663 
			  G 1,957 130 69 515 91 0 4,486 
			  U 1,186 52 14 291 79 0 3,435 
			  X (No result) 149 46 6 59 8 0 541 
			  Total entries 106,773 1,456 5,770 13,878 4,500 689 258,271 
		
	
	
		
			 (C ) OCR, 2008/09 
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (ii) Mathematics (iii) French (iv) Religious Studies (v) Geography (vi) Physics (viii) Total (includes subjects not listed) 
			 Grade A* 3,191 5,172 3,647 8,285 6,259 5,415 69,642 
			  A 7,392 9,871 4,555 10,293 11,908 7,346 115,279 
			  B 10,095 13,054 5,899 10,598 13,580 7,050 140,112 
			  C 10,366 24,221 7,370 8,619 16,570 4,218 158,705 
			  D 5,377 12,520 4,620 6,014 11,698 1,092 93,033 
			  E 2,707 7,489 1,823 3,240 5,805 224 50,785 
			  F 1,482 6,681 650 1,822 3,304 74 30,061 
			  G 724 4,627 210 921 1,679 29 15,755 
			  Q (Pending) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			  U 359 2,200 47 472 1,163 11 8,800 
			  X (No result) 48 499 51 211 66 21 1,778 
			  Total entries 41,741 86,334 28,872 50,475 72,032 25,480 683,951 
		
	
	
		
			 OCR, 2009/10 
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (ii) Mathematics (iii) French (iv) Religious Studies (v) Geography (vi) Physics (viii) Total (includes subjects not listed) 
			 Grade A* 3,598 6,251 3,736 8,657 6,558 7,551 74,259 
			  A 6,922 10,143 4,479 10,161 11,507 10,614 117,095 
			  B 9,130 12,516 5,459 10,993 13,590 10,820 140,843 
			  C 8,705 23,230 6,936 9,283 16,435 6,912 155,085 
			  D 4,031 8,857 4,402 6,125 11,756 2,031 85,164 
			  E 2,125 6,151 1,467 3,843 5,421 435 46,794 
			  F 1,068 5,442 535 2,239 2,822 126 26,625 
			  G 503 3,481 164 1,095 1,487 46 13,173 
			  Q (Pending) 2 2 0 0 0 1 11 
			  U 258 1,074 53 544 1,126 19 6,754 
			  X (No result) 82 548 50 189 78 86 1,937 
			  Total entries 36,424 77,695 27,281 53,129 70,780 38,641 667,740 
		
	
	
		
			 (D) AQA, 2008/09 
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (ii) Mathematics (iii) French (iv) Religious Studies (v) Geography (vi) Physics (viii) Total—single awards (includes subjects not listed) 
			 Grade A* 20,585 10,355 10,438 4,860 9,092 11,466 129,720 
			  A 54,282 16,947 13,169 8,594 12,094 12,806 227,974 
			  B 91,148 26,495 16,352 9,154 12,736 11,510 286,599 
			  C 119,757 52,322 21,802 7,000 16,646 7,975 356,581 
			  D 79,499 28,203 14,134 3,501 9,952 2,419 203,886 
			  E 41,509 17,993 7,410 2,054 5,785 353 109,494 
			  F 18,560 13,787 3,473 1,137 3,118 69 57,516 
			  G 6,909 8,401 1,294 642 1,616 22 27,090 
			  Q (Pending) 2 2 0 0 0 0 15 
			  U 3,933 2,923 320 425 1,401 12 14,412 
			  X (No result) 922 797 140 99 124 24 3,811 
			  Total entries 437,106 178,225 88,532 37,466 72,564 46,656 1,417,098 
		
	
	
		
			   Subject 
			   (vii) Double Science 
			 Grade A*A* 0 
			  A*A 0 
			  AA 0 
			  AB 0 
			  BB 0 
			  BC 0 
			  CC 0 
			  CD 0 
			  DD 1 
			  DE 0 
			  EE 0 
			  EF 0 
			  FF 2 
			  FG 0 
			  GG 5 
			  U 1 
			  X (No result) 2 
			  Total entries 11 
		
	
	
		
			 AQA, 2009/10 
			   Subject 
			   (i) English (ii) Mathematics (iii) French (iv) Religious Studies (v) Geography (vi) Physics (viii) Total (includes subjects not listed) 
			 Grade A* 22,019 11,683 9,806 4,979 9,782 14,813 138,468 
			  A 57,173 17,718 12,652 8,861 12,496 16,285 235,148 
			  B 95,936 26,944 16,218 9,809 12,936 15,505 297,252 
			  C 127,348 50,141 21,110 7,228 16,087 11,083 361,903 
			  D 71,857 23,708 13,525 3,489 10,678 2,580 188,887 
			  E 34,353 14,809 6,250 2,111 5,089 354 94,264 
			  F 15,087 11,227 2,814 1,339 2,584 80 48,506 
			  G 5,732 6,698 1,103 759 1,143 29 22,585 
			  Q (Pending) 0 1 0 0 0 3 10 
			  U 3,452 2,356 196 400 1,143 17 12,651 
			  X (No result) 825 741 117 77 94 132 3,441 
			  Total entries 433,782 166,026 83,791 39,052 72,032 60,881 1,403,115 
			 Notes:1. For each subject only one attempt is counted within each awarding body—that which achieved the highest grade. This may lead to double counting if pupils enter qualifications offered by different awarding bodies in the same subject. 2. No "Double Science" awards were made by Edexcel, WJEC or OCR in 2008/09 or any of these awarding bodies in 2009/10. This award has been succeeded by "Core and Additional Science". 3. Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.

Private Education: Inspections

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 apply to the inspection of child safeguarding arrangements at independent schools after they have been transferred from Ofsted to the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Nick Gibb: All statutory inspection reports are published either by Ofsted or by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). Where either inspectorate provides additional advice to the Department for Education in relation to a particular school, it is published unless there are compelling reasons not to do so, such as breaching the privacy of a pupil, prejudicing a police investigation, or placing the safety or pupils at risk.
	Any information provided by an inspectorate to the Department falls within scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoI). In addition any pupil, or parent of a pupil, can request personal information from the school they attend, any inspectorate, or the Department for Education, under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	ISI is not currently subject to the FoI Act. The Ministry of Justice is considering whether to include ISI in a future order made under section 5 of the FOI Act, which would designate it as a public authority for the purposes the FOI Act in relation to any functions of a public nature that it might perform.

Schools: Absenteeism

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of half days were missed by pupils in (a) maintained primary, (b) state-funded secondary and (c) special schools due to unauthorised absence in each parliamentary constituency in 2009-10.

Nick Gibb: The requested information has been placed in the House Libraries.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what resources he plans to make available to ensure that each school and college in England has a designated careers adviser to work with the chosen careers service provider.

Nick Gibb: Through the Education Act 2011, we are giving schools direct responsibility for securing access to independent and impartial careers guidance for their pupils. In support of the new duty, schools will be able to commission high quality support from providers who have achieved a national quality standard for careers guidance. This quality standard will assist schools in making well-informed decisions about which provider to use.
	The appointment of designated careers advisers and other staff responsible for the management and delivery of careers provision in school is a matter for the head teacher and governing body.
	Schools will meet the costs of careers guidance from their existing budgets. We have protected school budgets, introduced the pupil premium and given schools greater flexibility to determine the best use of resources for every pupil, including on careers guidance.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to providing careers advice and education to children in Year 6.

Nick Gibb: Young people benefit most from formal careers advice when they are preparing to make decisions about future education and training options. That is why we are placing a duty on schools to secure access to independent and impartial careers guidance for pupils in years 9 to 11, and consulting on the question of extending this down to year 8.
	Career-related advice can help to raise the aspirations of many younger children and develop their awareness of the world of work. Primary schools are best placed to make decisions about the inclusion of such activities in the curriculum, based on the needs of their pupils.

Teachers: Cambridgeshire

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers were awarded funding from the National Scholarship Fund for Teachers in (a) Peterborough and (b) Cambridgeshire in 2011.

Nick Gibb: The £2 million National Scholarship Fund for teachers was set up to help existing teachers in England develop their skills and to help them deepen their subject knowledge. The first round of successful bids was announced on 12 December 2011.
	The number of teachers awarded scholarships in each area was:
	Peterborough
	Four applicants who live in Peterborough
	Four applicants who work in Peterborough
	Cambridgeshire
	20 applicants who live in Cambridgeshire
	11 applicants who work in Cambridgeshire.